Facile UV-curing technique to establish a 3D-grafted poly(ethylene glycol) layer on an epoxy resin base for underwater applications

Construction of a highly hydrophilic polymer surface with excellent long-term stability underwater is a great challenge. In this paper, a facile ultraviolet (UV) curing technique was employed to realize the three-dimensional (3D) grafting of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA, molecular weight: 400, 600, and 1000 g/mol) on a bisphenol A epoxy acrylate (BEA) sheet. The cross section morphology, surface chemical composition, and wettability of the sheets were monitored using an optical microscope, an attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscope, and a water contact angle analyzer, respectively. The PEGDA-grafted epoxy sheets displayed a highly hydrophilic surface and meanwhile possessed excellent stability underwater, despite the molecular weight of PEGDA. In contrast, the PEGDA/BEA blend sheets are easily damaged underwater, due to strong swelling. In addition, the PEGDA1000-grafted BEA sheet demonstrated good antifouling performance in a natural marine environment. Nevertheless, its long-term antifouling is not satisfactory, being presumably due to hydrolysis or biodegradation of the PEG segments. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43972.