Fouling resistant silicone coating with self-healing induced by metal coordination

Silicone based fouling release coatings with eco-friendliness have received growing interest. Yet, their poor fouling resistance and self-repairing inability restrict their applications. Here, we report a new poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) coating cross-linked via coordination bonds between 2-(2-benzimidazolyl)ethanethiol (BET) and zinc ions. Such modified PDMS still has low surface energy but improved adhesion strength in comparison with PDMS elastomer. The metal coordination makes its cross-linking reversible, so it exhibits good self-healing in air or artificial seawater at room temperature. Moreover, the presence of zinc-imidazole complexes with antifouling function significantly improves the fouling resistance against the marine bacteria Pseudomonas sp. and the diatom Navicula incerta. The study provides an approach to develop high performance antifouling coating.