Zwitterglass: Anti-fouling Coatings from Glassy Polyelectrolyte Complexes

John Akintola, Joseph B. Schlenoff

Florida State University

In this study, we investigated the antifouling &/ foul release properties of a series of glassy polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMUs), including sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone) (SPEEK), prepared via layer-by-layer deposition method. FTIR, NMR and dynamic light scattering was employed to confirm sulfonation step while PEMUs properties such as growth profile, roughness, and wettability was monitored via ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and contact angle measurements respectively. Using in-situ optical microscopy, we tracked the performance of these PEMU surface coatings against a model aquatic foulant, “chlamydomonas reinhardtii”. We report that most surfaces terminated with the polyanion demonstrated ~100 % foulant detachment under series of flow conditions, due to electrostatic repulsion (surface charge), low surface roughness as well as high hydration surface properties. These new materials present a novel approach to non-toxic coatings which can withstand harsh operating conditions (e.g., high T_g) and require no post-process surface modifications.