Degradable hyaluronic acid/chitosan polyelectrolyte multilayers with marine fouling-release properties

Studying the Effect of Pre-Polymer Composition and Incorporation of Surface-Modifying Amphiphilic Additives on the Fouling-Release Performance of Amphiphilic Siloxane-Polyurethane Coatings

Combining amphiphilic fouling-release (FR) coatings with the surface-active nature of amphiphilic additives can improve the antifouling/fouling-release (AF/FR) properties needed to offer broad-spectrum resistance to marine biofoulants. This work is focused on further tuning the amphiphilic character of a previously developed amphiphilic siloxane-polyurethane (SiPU) coating by varying the amount of PDMS and PEG in the base system. Furthermore, surface-modifying amphiphilic additives (SMAAs) were incorporated into these amphiphilic FR SiPU coatings in varying amounts. ATR-FTIR, contact angle and surface energy measurements, and AFM were performed to assess changes in surface composition, wettability, and morphology. AF/FR properties were evaluated using laboratory biological assays involving Cellulophaga lytica, Navicula incerta, Ulva linza, Amphibalanus amphitrite, and Geukensia demissa. The surfaces of these coatings varied significantly upon changes in PDMS and PEG content in the coating matrix, as well as with changes in SMAA incorporation. AF/FR properties were also significantly changed, with formulations containing the highest amounts of SMAA showing very high removal properties compared to other experimental formulations, in some cases better than that of commercial standard FR coatings.

Amphiphilic Alginate-Based Layer-by-Layer Coatings Exhibiting Resistance against Nonspecific Protein Adsorption and Marine Biofouling

Amphiphilic coatings are promising materials for fouling-release applications, especially when their building blocks are inexpensive, biodegradable, and readily accessible polysaccharides. Here, amphiphilic polysaccharides were fabricated by coupling hydrophobic pentafluoropropylamine (PFPA) to carboxylate groups of hydrophilic alginic acid, a natural biopolymer with high water-binding capacity. Layer-by-layer (LbL) coatings comprising unmodified or amphiphilic alginic acid (AA*) and polyethylenimine (PEI) were assembled to explore how different PFPA contents affect their physicochemical properties, resistance against nonspecific adsorption (NSA) of proteins, and antifouling activity against marine bacteria (Cobetia marina) and diatoms (Navicula perminuta). The amphiphilic multilayers, characterized through spectroscopic ellipsometry, water contact angle goniometry, elemental analysis, AFM, XPS, and SPR spectroscopy, showed similar or even higher swelling in water and exhibited higher resistance toward NSA of proteins and microfouling marine organisms than multilayers without fluoroalkyl groups.

Three-dimensional porous gas-foamed electrospun nanofiber scaffold for cartilage regeneration

To achieve optimal functional recovery of articular cartilage, scaffolds with nanofibrous structure and biological function have been widely pursued. In this study, two-dimensional electrospun poly(l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone)/silk fibroin (PLCL/SF) scaffolds (2DS) were fabricated by dynamic liquid support (DLS) electrospinning system, and then cross-linked with hyaluronic acid (HA) to further mimic the microarchitecture of native cartilage. Subsequently, three-dimensional PLCL/SF scaffolds (3DS) and HA-crosslinked three-dimensional scaffolds (3DHAS) were successfully fabricated by in situ gas foaming and freeze-drying. 3DHAS exhibited better mechanical properties than that of the 3DS. Moreover, all scaffolds exhibited excellent biocompatibility in vitro. 3DHAS showed better proliferation and phenotypic maintenance of chondrocytes as compared to the other scaffolds. Histological analysis of cell-scaffold constructs explanted 8 weeks after implantation demonstrated that both 3DS and 3DHAS scaffolds formed cartilage-like tissues, and the cartilage lacuna formed in 3DHAS scaffolds was more mature. Moreover, the reparative capacity of scaffolds was discerned after implantation in the full-thickness articular cartilage model in rabbits for up to 12 weeks. The macroscopic and histological results exhibited typical cartilage-like character and well-integrated boundary between 3DHAS scaffolds and the host tissues. Collectively, biomimetic 3DHAS scaffolds may be promising candidates for cartilage tissue regeneration applications.

Effect of Multilayer Termination on Nonspecific Protein Adsorption and Antifouling Activity of Alginate-Based Layer-by-Layer Coatings

Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly is a versatile platform for applying coatings and studying the properties of promising compounds for antifouling applications. Here, alginate-based LbL coatings were fabricated by alternating the deposition of alginic acid and chitosan or polyethylenimine to form multilayer coatings. Films were prepared with either odd or even bilayer numbers to investigate if the termination of the LbL coatings affects the physicochemical properties, resistance against the nonspecific adsorption (NSA) of proteins, and antifouling efficacy. The hydrophilic films, which were characterized using spectroscopic ellipsometry, water contact angle goniometry, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, AFM, XPS, and SPR spectroscopy, revealed high swelling in water and strongly reduced the NSA of proteins compared to the hydrophobic reference. While the choice of the polycation was important for the protein resistance of the LbL coatings, the termination mattered less. The attachment of diatoms and settling of barnacle cypris larvae revealed good antifouling properties that were controlled by the termination and the charge density of the LbL films.

Layer-by-Layer Deposited Hybrid Polymer Coatings Based on Polysaccharides and Zwitterionic Silanes with Marine Antifouling Properties

Polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) assembly is a versatile tool to construct low-fouling coatings. For application in the marine environment, their structure needs to be stabilized by covalent linkage. Here, we introduce an approach for spin coating of silane-based sol-gel chemistries using layer-by-layer assembly of polysaccharide-based hybrid polymer coatings (LBLHPs). The silane sol-gel chemistry allows the films to be cross-linked under water-based and mild reaction conditions. Two different silanes were used for this purpose, a conventional triethoxymethyl silane and a de novo synthesized zwitterionic silane. The polysaccharide-silane hybrid polymer coatings were thoroughly characterized with spectroscopic ellipsometry, water contact angle (WCA) goniometry, attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The coatings showed good stability in seawater, smooth surfaces, a high degree of hydration, and WCAs below or close to the Berg limit. LBLHPs showed low-fouling properties in biological assays against nonspecific protein adsorption, attachment of the diatom Navicula perminuta, and settlement of zoospores of the macroalga Ulva linza.