Antifouling Coatings of Catecholamine Copolymers on Stainless Steel

Stainless steel (SS) exhibits good corrosion resistance in aquatic environments. Nevertheless, SS is susceptible to fouling by a variety of micro- and macro-organisms. In this work, the deposition of catecholamine-containing oligopoly(ethylene glycol) (oligoPEG)- or N-hydroethyl acrylamide (HEA)-based copolymers and terpolymers on the SS surfaces provide an alternative to deter biofouling. The mussel-inspired copolymers- and terpolymers-coated SS surfaces effectively reduced the adhesion of bacteria (Pseudomonas sp.) and microalgae (Amphora coffeaeformis) as compared to that of the pristine SS surface. A fluorescence technique was adopted to quantitatively determine the number of Amphora cells adhered on the SS substrates. In comparison to the pristine and copolymers-coated SS surfaces, the terpolymers-coated SS surfaces were more effective in reducing the settlement of barnacle cyprids (Amphibalanus (= Balanus) amphitrite). Overall, the antifouling efficiencies of oligoPEG-based copolymers and terpolymers coatings were higher than that of HEA-based coatings.