Design and screening of zwitterionic polymer scaffolds for rapid underwater adhesion and long‐term antifouling stability

Abstract

AbstractAs key components of antifouling material surfaces, the design and screening of polymer molecules grafted on the substrate are critical. However, current experimental and computational models still retain an empirical flavor due to the complex structure of polymers. Here, we report a simple and general strategy that enables multiscale design and screening of easily synthesized functional polymer molecules to address this challenge. Specifically, the required functions of the antifouling material are decomposed and assigned to different modules of the polymer molecules. By designing different modules, a novel bio‐inspired polymer with three zwitterionic poly (sulfobetaine methacrylate) (PSBMA) chains, three catechol (DOPA) anchors (tri‐DOPA‐PSBMA), and a tris(2‐aminoethyl) amine (TREN) scaffold were screened out. Moreover, it was successfully synthesized via an atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The excellent performance of tri‐DOPA‐PSBMA with a versatile and convenient grafting strategy makes it a promising material for marine devices, biomedical devices, and industrial applications.