Transparent, Mechanically Strong, Amphiphilic Antibiofouling Coatings Integrating Antismudge and Intrinsic Self-Healing Capabilities

Antibiofouling coatings with intrinsic self-healing ability are urgently desirable for practical applications. Herein, the amphiphilic self-healing antibiofouling material (ASAM) coatings integrating antismudge ability were prepared based on the incorporation of ionic liquids (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, EMI-TFSI) into amphiphilic copolymer-poly(BA-co-HFBM-co-SBMA). The ion–dipole interactions between incorporated imidazole cations and electronegative F atoms endow coatings with excellent self-healing ability. The presence of 3-[dimethyl-[2-(2-methylprop-2-enoyloxy)ethyl]azaniumyl]propane-1-sulfonate (SBMA) promotes the reconstruction of the surface chemical composition, forming nanoscale heterogeneity, thereby improving the antibiofouling efficiency. The optimized ASAM6 (SBMA accounts for 6 mol %) coating presented excellent antiprotein adhesion (increased by 67.5% vs ASAM0) and antibacterial adhesion (increased by 99.9% vs ASAM0) efficiency, and the outstanding antismudge ability against diverse pollutants (such as dyes, juices, etc.) has also been confirmed. The ASAM6 has strong mechanical properties (Young’s modulus = 27.72 MPa, tensile strength = 2.39 MPa, extensibility >800%) and can repair damaged parts within 6 h at room temperature. Moreover, higher self-healing efficiency (recovering time <40 min) can be achieved at a humidity of 95%. Thus, the ASAM6 coating exhibited good stability, excellent antibiofouling ability, as well as prominent antismudge and self-healing properties, thereby providing the idea for the design of antibiofouling coatings and broadening its fields of application.