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Design and Screening of Zwitterionic Polymer Scaffold for Rapid Underwater Adhesion and Long-term Antifouling Stability
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  • Zekai Zhang,
  • Xia Han,
  • Wei Gong,
  • Kai Huang,
  • Jiahui Li,
  • Xueqian Chen,
  • Cheng Lian,
  • HongLai Liu
Zekai Zhang

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Xueqian Chen
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Cheng Lian
East China University of Science and Technology
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HongLai Liu
East China University of Science and Technology
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Abstract

As key components of antifouling material surfaces, the design and screening of polymer molecules grafted on the substrate are critical. However, current experimental and computational models still retain an empirical flavor due to the complex structure of polymers. Here, we report a simple and general strategy that enables multi-scale design and screening of easily synthesized functional polymer molecules to address this challenge. Specifically, the required functions of the antifouling material are decomposed and assigned to different modules of the polymer molecules. By designing different modules, a novel bio-inspired polymer with three zwitterionic poly (sulfobetaine methacrylate) (PSBMA) chains, three catechol (DOPA) anchors (tri-DOPA-PSBMA), and a tris(2-aminoethyl) amine (TREN) scaffold were screened out. Moreover, it was successfully synthesized via an atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The excellent performance of tri-DOPA-PSBMA with a versatile and convenient grafting strategy makes it a promising material for marine devices, biomedical devices, and industrial applications.
15 Nov 2022Submitted to AIChE Journal
18 Nov 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
18 Nov 2022Submission Checks Completed
18 Nov 2022Assigned to Editor
06 Dec 2022Reviewer(s) Assigned
30 Dec 2022Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
07 Jan 20231st Revision Received
09 Jan 2023Submission Checks Completed
09 Jan 2023Assigned to Editor
09 Jan 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
14 Jan 2023Reviewer(s) Assigned
07 Mar 2023Editorial Decision: Accept