Dopamine-assisted sustainable antimicrobial peptide coating with antifouling and anticorrosion properties

Surface biofouling will seriously affect the performance of solid–liquid contact surfaces. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are considered as potential agents for surface antifouling due to its broad-spectrum antimicrobial capacity. In this study, a derived AMP was synthesized by the reaction between a marine originated AMP and monomolecular dopamine, which was then used to modify 304 stainless steel. Mass spectrometry analysis confirmed the synthesis reaction of DP, and the co-culture essays with E11 and 293 T cells proved DP’s excellent compatibility. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis confirmed that DP was grafted on surface successfully, meanwhile, atomic force microscope, contact angle and 3D optical profilometer results demonstrated that surface morphology and wettability changed remarkably after modification. The results of Vibrio natriegens and Phaeodactylum tricornutum adhesion assays illustrated that DP treated surface possessed great antifouling capacity, and the antibacterial and anti-algal properties of the DP modified surface can reach 97.78% and 90.01%, respectively. Electrochemical results indicated that DP modified surface exhibited superior anticorrosion. The stability test results showed that DP modified surface possessed long-lasting properties in antifouling and anticorrosion. These findings may provide a useful tethering process for producing excellent antifouling surfaces in marine equipment, medical devices and other relevant fields.