title: Poly(ethylene glycol)-containing hydrogel surfaces for antifouling applications in marine and freshwater environments.
abstract: This work describes the fabrication, characterization, and biological evaluation of a thin protein-resistant poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based hydrogel coating for antifouling applications. The coating was fabricated by free-radical polymerization on silanized glass and silicon and on polystyrene-covered silicon and gold. The physicochemical properties of the coating were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, ellipsometry, and contact angle measurements. In particular, the chemical stability of the coating in artificial seawater was evaluated over a six-month period. These measurements indicated that the degradation process was slow under the test conditions chosen, with the coating thickness and composition changing only marginally over the period. The settlement behavior of a broad and diverse group of marine and freshwater fouling organisms was evaluated. The tested organisms were barnacle larvae (Balanus amphitrite), algal zoospores (Ulva linza), diatoms (Navicula perminuta), and three bacteria species (Cobetia marina, Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus, and Pseudomonas fluorescens). The biological results showed that the hydrogel coating exhibited excellent antifouling properties with respect to settlement and removal.
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Physics, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linkoping University, SE-581 83 Linkoping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ekblad
authors.forename: Gunnar
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bergström
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ederth
authors.forename: Sheelagh L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Conlan
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mutton
authors.forename: Anthony S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Clare
authors.forename: Su
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yunli
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Fraddry
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: D'Souza
authors.forename: Glen T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Donnelly
authors.forename: Peter R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Willemsen
authors.forename: Michala E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Pettitt
authors.forename: Maureen E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Callow
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Callow
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liedberg