Trehalose-modified Poly (vinyl alcohol) and Their Antifogging/Antifrosting Coatings

Trehalose-grafted poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA-g-Tre) was synthesized from carboxylated trehalose and poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and the hydrophilic semi-interpenetrating polymer network antifogging/antifrosting coatings were further prepared from the trehalose-modified polymer with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate via photoinitiated polymerization. The chemical structure of PVA-g-Tre was characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The roughness and wettability of the coating surface as well as hydrogen bonding between water and the polymer were analyzed by atomic force microscopy, water contact angle and Raman spectroscopy, respectively. The transmittance, antifogging and antifrosting properties of the coatings were measured. Results showed that the prepared coatings containing PVA-gTre with different trehalose-grafting ratios had low surface roughness with high transmittance. Compared with the PVA coating,the PVA-g-Tre coatings exhibited excellent antifogging and antifrosting properties due to the enhanced hydrophilicity and wettability by introduction of trehalose.