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Updated: Jan 28, 2026

Aerobic Biodegradation Testing of Materials Using a Natural Marine Seawater Inoculum and Closed Loop Respirometer
Published on: October 24, 2025
Biodegradable Poly(ester- co-acrylate) with Antifoulant Pendant Groups for Marine Anti-Biofouling
Guoxiong Dai1, Qingyi Xie1, Chunfeng Ma1
1Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering , South China University of Technology , Guangzhou 510640 , P. R. China.
Abstract:
Polymer resins are critical for marine anti-biofouling coatings. In this study, degradable poly(ester- co-acrylate) with antifoulant pendant groups has been prepared by the radical ring-opening polymerization of 2-methylene-1,3-dioxepane, methyl methacrylate, and N-methacryloyloxy methyl benzoisothiazolinone. Such a polymer containing main-chain esters can hydrolytically and enzymatically degrade. Both degradation rates increase with main-chain ester content. Moreover, since the antifoulant groups are chemically grafted to the degradable main chain, their release can be controlled by the degradation besides the hydrolysis of side groups. Our study shows that the copolymer coating is efficient in inhibiting the accumulation of marine bacterial biofilm of Pseudomonas sp. and diatom Navicular incerta. Marine field test reveals that the copolymer has excellent efficiency in preventing biofouling for more than 6 months.
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