Anti-Bio Adhesive Behavior and Mechanism of Polystyrene Microspheres Enhanced PEG-Based Hydrogels

Abstract

Marine biofouling has become the main factor of marine economic loss. In this article, we studied the relationship between the PS-PEG hydrogels properties and the anti-bio adhesive behavior, such as amphiphilic, swelling degree, elastic modulus and roughness. Testing the adhesion behavior of marine bacteria and benthic diatom on PS-PEG hydrogel with different polystyrene microspheres content. Meanwhile, the influence of polystyrene microsphere content on the antifouling performance of hydrogel was emphatically analyzed and proposed the anti-bio adhesive behavior mechanism of PS-PEG hydrogels. The results showed that the antifouling performance of PS-PEG hydrogels was significantly enhanced by adding polystyrene microspheres. In the marine bacterial adhesion behavior, when polystyrene microspheres were added at 14.2 wt.%, the bacterial adhesion rate was respectively 3.85% and 0.01% for rinsing and washing samples, and the bacterial removal rate was 99.74%. In addition, in the benthic diatom adhesion behavior, the chlorophyll concentration a-values after rinsing and washing samples were only 0.019 mg/L and 0.002 mg/L with the same content of polystyrene microspheres, and the removal rate was 89.6%. At the same time, polystyrene microspheres enable PS-PEG hydrogels to exhibit amphiphilic, which could form a hydration layer by surface reorganization in seawater, the hardness and toughness of PS-PEG hydrogel substrate can be increased by adding appropriate polystyrene microspheres, and it also reduced the surface roughness of hydrogels after swelling in seawater. Accordingly, PS-PEG hydrogels can achieve efficient anti-bio adhesive behavior mainly through the synergistic effect of a highly hydrated layer, unstable surface and low roughness.

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Journal of Polymers and the Environment (2023) 31:3551–3564
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-023-02829-7
ORIGINAL PAPER
Anti‑Bio Adhesive Behavior andMechanism ofPolystyrene
Microspheres Enhanced PEG‑Based Hydrogels
ChenZhang1· YuhongQi1· ZhanpingZhang1
Accepted: 9 March 2023 / Published online: 25 March 2023
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2023
Abstract
Marine biofouling has become the main factor of marine economic loss. In this article, we studied the relationship between
the PS-PEG hydrogels properties and the anti-bio adhesive behavior, such as amphiphilic, swelling degree, elastic modulus
and roughness. Testing the adhesion behavior of marine bacteria and benthic diatom on PS-PEG hydrogel with different poly-
styrene microspheres content. Meanwhile, the influence of polystyrene microsphere content on the antifouling performance
of hydrogel was emphatically analyzed and proposed the anti-bio adhesive behavior mechanism of PS-PEG hydrogels. The
results showed that the antifouling performance of PS-PEG hydrogels was significantly enhanced by adding polystyrene
microspheres. In the marine bacterial adhesion behavior, when polystyrene microspheres were added at 14.2wt.%, the
bacterial adhesion rate was respectively 3.85% and 0.01% for rinsing and washing samples, and the bacterial removal rate
was 99.74%. In addition, in the benthic diatom adhesion behavior, the chlorophyll concentration a-values after rinsing and
washing samples were only 0.019mg/L and 0.002mg/L with the same content of polystyrene microspheres, and the removal
rate was 89.6%. At the same time, polystyrene microspheres enable PS-PEG hydrogels to exhibit amphiphilic, which could
form a hydration layer by surface reorganization in seawater, the hardness and toughness of PS-PEG hydrogel substrate can
be increased by adding appropriate polystyrene microspheres, and it also reduced the surface roughness of hydrogels after
swelling in seawater. Accordingly, PS-PEG hydrogels can achieve efficient anti-bio adhesive behavior mainly through the
synergistic effect of a highly hydrated layer, unstable surface and low roughness.
Keywords Marine bacteria· Benthic diatom· Anti-bio adhesive behavior· PS-PEG hydrogel
Introduction
The surface of the substrate immersed in seawater will be
adhered to some marine microorganisms, which is called
biofouling [1, 2]. In recent years, due to the prohibition of
organotin antifouling coatings, and many shortcomings of
the alternative coatings, such as the polydimethylsiloxane
(PDMS) antifouling coatings are expensive, poor adhesion
and repair difficulties and other reasons to limit the applica-
tion [3]. In addition, the extensive use of biocidal antifouling
coatings has inevitably caused long-term harm to the marine
environment [4]. It is easy to see from the whole process
of marine fouling organism’s adhesion that the adsorption
of organic compounds, bacteria and marine microalgae is
the key step in the fouling of the marine facilities surface
[5]. As a soft hydrophilic material, the hydrogel has certain
similarities and correlations forming the organic molecular
layer and bio-mucous film, which can well block this fouling
phenomenon from the origin [6]. For example, polyethyl-
ene glycol (PEG) and amphoteric materials can significantly
reduce the adhesion of proteins and bacteria on the surface.
Quaternary ammonium hydrogels or metal nanoparticle
loaded hydrogels can effectively kill bacteria or algae, in
order to slow down or inhibit the growth of biomes on the
substrate surface.
The 3D cross-linked hydrogel contains rich water and
has softness and high elasticity of the substrate [7]. When
the hydrogel is in contact with the liquid, it has low inter-
facial free energy, thus maintaining a low adsorption trend
* Yuhong Qi
yuhong_qi@dlmu.edu.cn
Chen Zhang
pudding@dlmu.edu.cn
Zhanping Zhang
zzp@dlmu.edu.cn
1 Department ofMaterials Science andEngineering, Dalian
Maritime University, Dalian116026, China
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