Dopamine‐Assisted Rapid Construction of Zwitterionic Polymeric Coating for Improved Antifouling and Bactericidal Properties

ABSTRACT With the escalating challenges of biological contamination, surface modification technology has become a promising strategy to develop multifunctional materials. Antifouling coatings based on zwitterionic/quaternary ammonium polymers have been widely applied in medical, chemical, and marine antifouling fields due to their excellent biological inertness and remarkable antifouling and bactericidal properties. However, the limited adhesion of these coatings to substrate surfaces significantly restricts their application. An ideal antifouling and bactericidal coating should not only exhibit high antifouling and bactericidal efficiency but also form robust interfacial bonds with the substrate. Mussel‐inspired dopamine (DA) functional polymers with superior adhesion and multi‐functionality have been extensively studied and applied in fields such as bio‐adhesives, surface modification, and biomedicine. One‐step co‐deposition of PDA with antifouling polymers, especially zwitterionic polymers, has been considered as a promising strategy for fabricating antifouling surfaces. However, the key challenge lies in the slow co‐deposition process, which typically requires 10 h or even longer. In this work, a rapid, stable, and universal method utilizing CuSO 4 and H 2 O 2 to catalyze the co‐deposition of DA and zwitterionic polymer was proposed, which enables the formation of a stable coating within 45 min. The copolymer of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), [2‐(methacryloyloxy) ethyl] dimethyl‐(3‐sulfopropyl) ammonium hydroxide (DMAPS), and [2‐(methacryloyloxy) ethyl] trimethylammonium chloride solution (DMC) (P(GMA‐ co ‐DMAPS‐ co ‐DMC)) developed in this study achieves synergistic antifouling and bactericidal effects through a simple and efficient grafting method, demonstrating significant potential for biomedical and industrial applications. The results demonstrate that the grafted coating exhibits excellent anti‐protein adsorption performance (over 90%) as well as significant bactericidal performance, with the inactivation rates of 99.9% and 97.7% against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli , respectively. Additionally, the coating exhibits strong adhesion to the substrate, further validating its practical application. New insights and methods will be provided for the development of high‐performance antifouling and bactericidal coatings.