Flexible coatings with microphase separation structure attained by copolymers and ultra-fine nanoparticles for endurable antifouling

Incorporating antibacterial agent into biomimetic coating inspired by natural organisms with micronano structure surface has generated more interest for antifouling applications.In this work,poly(dimethylsiloxane)(PDMS)-based triblock copolymers and sub-20 nm nanoparticles Ag and heterogeneous Fe_(3)O_(4)-coated Ag(Fe_(3)O_(4)@Ag)were used to construct microphase separation topography with oriented copolymer blocks structure.The artificial surface was verified by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy images.Meanwhile,the surface exhibited relative stable hydrophobic property,which was demonstrated by the water contact angle and dynamic air-bubble contact angle measurements.Consequently,after immersed in BSA solution 24 h and 720 h,the actual BSA absorption amount of the surface with Fe_(3)O_(4)@Ag nanoparticles was as low as 10%and 27%that of the initial BSA amount,respectively.Moreover,the surface also showed remarkable antibacterial performance,which effectively suppressed the growth rate of Escherichia coli.The strategy of constructing the flexible micro p hase separation structure by introducing heterogeneous inorganic antibacterial nanoparticles into a block copolymer substrate opens up a new way to create an antifouling surface coating.