J. Mater. Sci. Technol. ›› 2022, Vol. 124: 1-13.DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2022.01.026

• Research Article •     Next Articles

Facile fabrication of self-healing silicone-based poly(urea-thiourea)/tannic acid composite for anti-biofouling

Jiawen Suna,b,c,d,1, Chao Liua,e,1, Jizhou Duana,b,c,d,*(), Jie Liub, Xucheng Donga,b,c,d, Yimeng Zhanga,b,d, Ning Wanga,b,c,d, Jing Wanga,b,c,d, Baorong Houa,b,c,d   

  1. aKey Laboratory of Marine Environmental Corrosion and Bio-fouling, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
    bOpen Studio for Marine Corrosion and Protection, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao 266237, China
    cUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
    dCenter for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
    eCollege of Resources and Environment, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
  • Received:2021-10-17 Revised:2021-12-26 Accepted:2022-01-15 Published:2022-10-10 Online:2022-03-31
  • Contact: Jizhou Duan
  • About author:Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Corrosion and Bio-fouling, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China. E-mail address: duanjz@qdio.ac.cn (J. Duan).
    First author contact:1 These authors contributed equally to this work.

Abstract:

A novel silicone-based poly(urea-thiourea)/tannic acid composite (PDMS-P(Ua-TUa)-TA) with excellent mechanical, self-healing and antifouling properties is developed. The multiple dynamic hydrogen bonds formed by thiourea groups, urea groups, and tannic acid (TA) molecules ensured a tough elastomer (ultimate strength: 2.47 MPa) with high stretchability (∼1000%). TA molecules as partial hydrogen bonding cross-linking sites interacted rapidly with urea and thiourea groups before the migration of polymer chains, resulting in fast and efficient self-healing. Scratches on the film completely disappeared within 12 min, and the repair efficiency of strength was up to 98.4% within 3 h under ambient condition. Self-healing behavior was also evaluated in artificial seawater and the healing efficiency (HE) was 95.1%. Furthermore, TA uniformly dispersed in the polymer matrix provides good antibacterial and anti-diatom properties, as well as strong adhesion to the substrate (∼2.2 MPa). Laboratory bioassays against marine bacteria adhesion (∼96%, ∼95% and ∼93% reduction for P. sp., E. coli, and S. aureus, respectively) and diatom attachment (∼84% reduction) demonstrated an outstanding antifouling property of the PDMS-P(Ua-TUa)-TA. This work provides a promising pathway towards the development of high-performance silicone-based coatings for marine anti-biofouling.

Key words: Poly(dimethylsiloxane), Poly(urea-thiourea), Self-healing, Hydrogen bonding, Marine antifouling, Tannic acid