Surface Hydration and Antifouling Activity of Zwitterionic Polymers

it is believed that the strong surface hydration of zwitterionic polymersleads to excellent antifouling properties. This Perspective presents the recentdevelopments in studies on such surface hydration in situ using sum frequencygeneration (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy. SFG research provides direct molecularlevel evidence that zwitterionic polymers have strong surface hydration, which preventsprotein adsorption and marine animal attachment. The salt effect and proteininteraction on surface hydration of zwitterionic polymers have also been examined usingSFG. Possible future research directions on surface hydration of new zwitterionicpolymers including zwitterionic hydrogels, copolymers, and mixed charged polymers arediscussed. It is also important to combine experimental SFG studies with computersimulations to further elucidate the surface hydration to understand antifouling mechanisms.