MXene/Ag-Based Zwitterionic Double-Network Hydrogels with Enhanced Mechanical Strength and Antifouling Performances

Biological fouling seriously jeopardizes the development of the marine industry. Although hydrogels, as a kind of state-of-the-art antifouling material, have received wide attention, their mechanical strength is still relatively weak, and the synergistic antifouling method is comparatively single, thus limiting the performance of hydrogels. Here, a zwitterionic sulfobetaine methacrylate (SBMA)-acrylamide (AM)/sodium alginate (SA) double-network (DN) antifouling hydrogel with superb antifouling ability and outstanding mechanical properties was prepared by grafting MXene/Ag (M/Ag) and the powerful biocide polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB). The prepared M/Ag has a great bactericidal effect (99.9%), and the DN-M/Ag-PHMB hydrogel demonstrates high tensile strength (5.8 MPa), remarkable antiprotein adhesion, bactericidal, and antialgal adhesion. This work proves that the DN-M/Ag-PHMB hydrogel has an exceptional antifouling ability in all three stages of biofouling formation and has a promising future as a new type of green marine antifouling material.