The antifouling film includes a polymer layer that includes on a surface thereof an uneven structure provided with multiple projections at a pitch not longer than a wavelength of visible light. The polymer layer has a proportion of the number of fluorine atoms relative to the sum of the numbers of carbon atoms, nitrogen atoms, oxygen atoms, and fluorine atoms of 33 atom % or more on the surface of the uneven structure and of 3 atom % or less on average in a region 90 to 120 nm deep from the surface of the uneven structure. The polymer layer has a proportion of the number of nitrogen atoms relative to the sum of the numbers of carbon atoms, nitrogen atoms, oxygen atoms, and fluorine atoms of 4 atom % or less on average in a region 90 to 120 nm deep from the surface of the uneven structure.

Disclosed methods include formulating azobenzene-based polymer networks to induce a modulus change in a highly crosslinked polymer, in vivo, with no external heat requirement and using a benign light as the source of stimuli. A modulus change can be achieved via a coating on the substrate and within the bulk of the substrate via photoexposure. The azobenzene-based polymer network can be formed as a coating or in the bulk of a material from either a glassy composition comprising methyl methacrylate (MMA), poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), and triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) or a soft material comprising of long-chain difunctional acrylates. The disclosed technology also includes methods of biofilm disruption and removal from the surface of a substrate, and includes methods of inhibiting biofilm growth and cell attachment to a substrate.

A composite structure is provided, which includes a support, an active layer wrapping the support, a dendrimer grafted to the active layer through covalent bondings, and a plurality of anti-fouling groups, wherein each of the anti-fouling groups is grafted to terminals of the dendrimer through covalent bondings. The terminals of the dendrimer include amino group, hydroxyl group, or thiol group.

A polymeric composition comprising (i) a plurality of monomers selected from (a) a carboxylic acryloyi monomer; (b) a sulfonic acryloyi monomer; (c) an amine acryloyi monomer; (d) a hydroxyl acryloyi monomer; (e) an alkyl acryloyi monomer; and (f) a polyalkylene hydroxyl acryloyi monomer; (ii) a divalent metallic crosslinking agent; and (c) a stabilizing agent is disclosed herein. Also provided are the use of said polymeric composition as a hydrogel coating material, a method of synthesizing the polymeric composition and the use of the hydrogel material.

Disclosed are materials having an antifouling and a biocidal property. The materials include a polyvinylchloride plastic covalently linked to a polymer, where the polymer includes an antifouling component and a biocidal component.

Immobilizable antimicrobial compounds incorporating antimicrobial and/or antifouling components, as can be adhered to various device structures and components.

The invention is related to a cost-effective method for making a silicone hydrogel contact lens having a crosslinked hydrophilic coating thereon. A method of the invention involves heating a silicone hydrogel contact lens in an aqueous solution in the presence of a water-soluble, highly branched, thermally-crosslinkable hydrophilic polymeric material having positively-charged azetidinium groups, to and at a temperature from about 40 C. to about 140 C. for a period of time sufficient to covalently attach the thermally-crosslinkable hydrophilic polymeric material onto the surface of the silicone hydrogel contact lens through covalent linkages each formed between one azetidinium group and one of the reactive functional groups on and/or near the surface of the silicone hydrogel contact lens, thereby forming a crosslinked hydrophilic coating on the silicone hydrogel contact lens. Such method can be advantageously implemented directly in a sealed lens package during autoclave.

A modified conductive structure includes a conductive substrate and a polymer film disposed over a surface of the polymer film. A chemical bond exists between the polymer film and the conductive substrate, and the polymer film includes repeating units as shown below:

##STR00001##

wherein A is an antifouling molecule group; B is a sulfur-containing group or a nitrogen-containing group; R is a single bond or a first linking group; C is -L-E, wherein L is a second linking group, E is an enzyme unit; x and z are each independently 0 or an integer from 1 to 10000, and y is an integer from 1 to 10000; o is 0 or an integer from 1 to 50, and when o is an integer from 1 to 50, m and n are each independently 0 or an integer from 1 to 50.

Provided is a laminate including a surface layer that has excellent matte properties and can obtain good results in both the needle scratch test and the nail scratch test, and a surface coating composition that can prepare such a surface layer.

The invention is directed to curable polyurethane coating compositions which may be used to form fouling release coatings, e.g., for use in protecting boat hulls. The curable polyurethane coating compositions of the invention comprise (a) a prepolymer made by reacting at least one polyisocyanate with (i) at least one monocarbinol-terminated poly(dimethylsiloxane), (ii) at least one methoxy-terminated poly(ethylene glycol), or (iii) mixtures thereof, (b) at least one polyol, and (c) at least one polyisocyanate crosslinker. The invention also relates to the prepolymer used in the curable coating compositions. The invention further relates to methods for reducing or preventing biofouling of a surface exposed to an aqueous environment comprising the steps of coating the surface with a curable coating composition of the invention to form a coated surface, and curing the coating coating composition on the coated surface.