Anti-fouling amphiphilic surfaces from norbornene-based fluorinated copolymers with excellent mechanical properties

Amphiphilic coatings have garnered significant attention in the realm of fouling resistance due to their potential to reduce fouling adhesion and enhance fouling release. However, developing anti-fouling amphiphilic surfaces with robust mechanical properties remains a formidable challenge. Herein, a series of norbornene-based amphiphilic copolymers (PNPFE-PEG-x) with varying NPEG mass fractions (0–50 wt%) were well-designed and fabricated via living ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) employing norbornene-based fluorinated monomer (NPFE) and poly(ethylene glycol) (NPEG) monomer. The water absorption, surface wettability, and mechanical properties of the amphiphilic copolymers can be regulated by adjusting the NPEG contents. Particularly, dry PNPFE-PEG-10 % films exhibited exceptional tensile strength of 14.36 MPa and breaking elongation of 376 %. The wet PNFPE-PEG-H2O samples exhibited a unique hydration-induced stiffening phenomenon. Even in the water swelling state, wet PNPFE-PEG-50 % films still demonstrated remarkable tensile strength of 8.05 MPa and breaking elongation of 74.81 %. Furthermore, increasing the NPEG content effectively resisted bovine serum albumin and fibrinogen protein adsorption on the coatings, with PNPFE-PEG-50 % showing the lowest protein adsorption at 19 μg/cm2 and 27 μg/cm2, respectively, indicating excellent anti-fouling properties. In addition, PNPFE-PEG-x exhibited anti-icing property through rational molecular design. These high-performance anti-fouling coatings are equipped to meet diverse application needs in marine anti-fouling, biomedical instruments, and other relevant fields.