Polarity-Driven Marine Antifouling Coating with Dynamic Surface: Elucidating Mechanism for Disrupting Mussel Adhesion

Mussels can adhere to the surfaces of marine structures, which leads to the formation of fouling communities that disrupt the performance of these facilities. However, their robust adhesion mechanism presents a substantial challenge to conventional antifouling coatings that depend on the flow rate of seawater, which can even cause the coatings to fail in static marine environments. Herein, a dynamic interface engineering strategy is employed to develop an antifouling coating that intervenes with mussel adhesion by disrupting biological functions along multiple pathways. A dynamic surface is achieved via the polarity-driven scission of oxime-urethane bonds for continuous surface self-renewal and the generation of alkyl radicals. The coating disrupts mussel adhesion by inhibiting energy metabolism, inducing oxidative damage, and disrupting cellular regulatory networks. The coating also demonstrates an outstanding broad-spectrum antifouling performance against bacteria and diatoms. Specifically, the optimal coating indicates antibacterial efficiencies and antidiatom ratio of 90.0% ± 2.8%, 95.6% ± 1.3%, 95.7% ± 3.9%, and 99.3% ± 1.2% against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudoalteromonas marina, and Halamphora sp, respectively. Moreover, it maintains an excellent antifouling efficiency after 8 months of immersion in a marine environment. The developed strategy translates mechanistic insights from mussel adhesion into material engineering and is a rational approach for the development of next-generation antifouling coatings.