Ultra-high strength sodium alginate/PVA/PHMB double-network hydrogels for marine antifouling

Although hydrogel have attracted tremendous attention as antifouling material, it is still challenging to develop an antifouling hydrogel that combines superior mechanical properties with excellent antifouling effect. Here, a high-strength polyvinyl alcohol/sodium alginate double-network (DN) antibacterial and antifouling hydrogel was synthesized by introducing polyhexamethylene biguanide hydrochloride (PHMB) potent fungicide. The as-prepared hydrogel demonstrated high tensile strength (17.23 MPa), excellent anti-protein adhesion ability (0.09 %, anti-diatom adhesion rate), and outstanding antibacterial ability (100 % sterilization rate). The antifouling experiments have verified that DN-PHMB hydrogel remains non-attachment even after >6 months in the actual marine environment. These distinctive capabilities of DN-PHMB hydrogels hold promising candidate for marine antifouling materials.