Introducing PES porous membrane to establish bionic autocrine channels: A lubricating, anti-wear antifouling coating

As a global challenge, marine biofouling is causing serious economic losses and adverse ecological impacts. In recent years, a variety of promising and environmentally friendly anti-fouling strategies have emerged, among which the excellent anti-fouling performance of bionic autocrine coatings has been recognized. However, bionic autocrine coatings still suffer from uncontrollable secretion behavior, poor mechanical stability, and poor abrasion resistance. Inspired from dolphin skin, this study establishes an antifouling system i-PDMS/PES coating with lubrication based on secretion channels and resistance to abrasion properties by coupling a polyethersulfone (PES) porous membrane to the surface of secretion substance- silicone oil-infused polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) pre-polymer coating. The secretion behavior of the secreted substances on the coating surface, the tribological properties of the coating surface, and the adhesion properties of marine bacteria and benthic diatoms were explored. The results showed that the secreted substances were rapidly secreted on the surface of the i-PDMS/PES coating to form a continuous lubricating film, and at the same time had an efficient self-replenishing ability, thus that not only effectively reduces the friction coefficient of the coating, but also mitigates the mechanical damage of the coating surface during friction. In additional, the continuous lubrication film formed by autocrine secretion improves the antifouling performance of the coating. Considering the actual application environment of antifouling coatings in the ocean, this study proposes a new solution to the problem of the long-term effectiveness of antifouling coatings.