Fluorine-free coating with low surface energy and anti-biofouling properties

Infection caused by bacterial colonization on medical devices is a significant problem in clinics. Low surface energy of bio-adhesives can resist microbial colonization or minimize adhesion between microbial and surface. Such surfaces are becoming more widely investigated for possible use in various applications, such as biomedical and biological applications and cell-based assays. In this paper, a series of tris(trimethylsiloxy)silyl (M3T) containing methacrylate copolymer with low surface energy were designed and synthesized, and the surface and mechanical properties of copolymer coatings were characterized. The results show that the amount of curing group trimethoxysilane propyl methacrylate (TMOSPMA) and rigid building block propyl methacrylate (PMA) had significant effects on the surface and mechanical properties of copolymer coatings. More curing group and more rigid component resulted in better mechanical property. The random terpolymer (M3T-co-PMA-co-TMOSPMA) with a molar ratio of 2/8/3 formed hydrophobic coating with good mechanical properties with respect to B hardness. The cell and bacterial growth test showed that the coating had low cell adhesion property and good anti-bacterial performance.