Negatively Charged Carbon Nanodots with Bacteria Resistance Ability for High-Performance Antibiofilm Formation and Anticorrosion Coating Design

Multifunctional coatings, especially those with simultaneous antibiofilm formation and anticorrosion properties are of great significance for the marine industry. Inspired by the function of fish mucus of blackhead fish, a biological epidermal secretion with negative surface potential that protects blackhead fish from colonization of microorganisms, a concept is introduced to use negatively charged carbon nanodots (CDs) as a secure and economical dual-functional additive to prepare protective coatings. The prepared CDs with strong negative surface potential initiate robust antibiofilm formation (antiadhesion and antibacteria) and anticorrosion properties (about 60 days' durability in seawater) of polymeric coatings. The incorporated CDs with negative surface potential take effect in the following ways: 1) suppressing bacterial adhesion by virtue of strong electrostatic repulsion; 2) sterilizing anchored bacteria via destroying bacterial cell walls; 3) impeding electron ejection from the metallic surface; and 4) blocking aggressive species (H2O and O-2) by narrowing the microchannels. This work provides a new train of thought propelling the development of potential materials for industrial and engineering applications.