Intrinsic Benign Functional Polyacrylates for Transpicuous-Cum Antifouling Applications

Abstract

Protein attachment, cell adhesion and the development of microorganisms are serious some issues of the equipment being used underwater while antifouling is considered as the best remedy to those issues. However, development of new intrinsic antifouling materials and investigation of their structure-antifouling activity relationship are important and currently an area to provide many challenges including optimize benign, intrinsic and transpicuous performances. In consideration of these challenges, present work accessible to the design of a series of amphiphilic polyacrylate copolymers to control bacterial and algal biofilm development on material’s surface. In present research endeavor, the facile synthesis, bioassay of functional antifouling polymers and characterization are included. In the first series amphiphilic copolymers were synthesized by 2-dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate (DMAEMA), hydrophilic monomer and methyl methacrylate (MMA), hydrophobic monomer. These amphiphilic copolymers were characterized by FTIR, 1HNMR and gel permeation chromatography techniques. These copolymers P(DMAEMA-co MMA), with different concentrations of DMAEMA were explored to inhibit the biofouling causing bacterial adhesion. The main objective of current study was to elucidate antifouling activity of synthesized copolymers and to investigate the mode of antifouling action. Antibacterial activities were performed against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538) and Gram negative Escherichia coli (ATCC 8739) by disk diffusion method and zones of inhibition were calculated. Among these, PDM1 copolymer has furnished highest zones of inhibition i.e. 19 ± 0.33 mm and 20 ± 0.33 mm for E. coli and S. aureus. Copolymers, PDM1 and PDM2 have showed substantial control on bacterial adhesion and biofilm formations. Bacterial biofilm formation has visualized and analyzed by SEM and these synthetic copolymers perform in a same fashion like cationic biocide. The antialgal activity of the copolymers has determined through suspension assay at 25 oC for seven days. Adhesion of Dictyosphaerium sp. algae on different compositions of copolymers with different surface energy was tested by measuring chlorophyll A content. The copolymer (P1), poly(DMAEMA-co-MMA) with 35 % DMAEMA has lowest surface energy, 50 ± 1 mJ/m2 and smaller chlorophyll A content of 0.5 μg/cm2. Algal adhesion on the surface of polymers was observed by optical microscopy. P1 copolymer with greater content of DMAEMA showed low adhesion of Dictyosphaerium algae due to stronger hydration and wettability.