Substrate-Independent Bioinspired Antifouling Films Derived from Tyrosine-Conjugated Trimethylamine N-oxide (Tyr-TMAO)
발표자
양재식 (부산대학교)
연구책임자
홍대화 (부산대학교 )
초록
내용
We present an antifouling coating inspired by trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), a natural zwitterionic osmolyte found in marine organisms. TMAO features a positively charged nitrogen directly bonded to a negatively charged oxygen, resulting in strong hydration and excellent antifouling properties. DOPA-based coatings have been widely used for substrate-independent applications, but they suffer from limitations such as auto-oxidation and the requirement for alkaline conditions to initiate coating. To address these issues, we adopted a tyrosine-based strategy inspired by melanogenesis. In the presence of tyrosinase, the phenol group of tyrosine is enzymatically oxidized, leading to film formation under neutral conditions. Based on this approach, we synthesized a tyrosine-conjugated TMAO derivative (Tyr-TMAO) and formed thin films via tyrosinase-mediated oxidation. The resulting Tyr-TMAO films exhibited superhydrophilicity and robust antifouling performance across a range of substrates.