One-pot method for preparation of capsaicin-containing double-network hydrogels for marine antifouling

RSC Advances Pub Date: 2022-05-23 DOI: 10.1039/D2RA00502F

Abstract

Marine biofouling which interferes with normal marine operation and also causes huge economic loss has become a worldwide problem. With the development of society, there is an urgent need to develop non-toxic and efficient anti-fouling strategies. Capsaicin is an environmentally friendly antifouling agent, but controlling the stable release of capsaicin from the coating is still a challenge to be solved. To achieve long-lasting antifouling property, in this work, we incorporate a derivative of capsaicin N-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl)acrylamide (HMBA) to prepare double network (DN) hydrogels and make HMBA a part of the polymer network. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) has good hydrophilicity, and as a soft and ductile network, acrylamide (AM) and HMBA can polymerize to generate a rigid and brittle network. By adjusting the content of HMBA in the DN hydrogels, we can obtain a PVA–PAHX hydrogel with high mechanical strength, low swelling rate, and excellent antifouling effect, which provides a feasible way for the practical application of a hydrogel coating in long-term marine antifouling.

Graphical abstract: One-pot method for preparation of capsaicin-containing double-network hydrogels for marine antifouling
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