Task specific ionic liquid-impregnated polymeric surface coatings for antibacterial, antifouling, and metal scavenging activity

A method of coating a surface of an object, a device, or an assembly, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing in a partially evacuated vessel an object, a device, or an assembly comprising a surface;
• (b) heating or irradiating a free radical initiator, thereby producing a gaseous free radical initiator;
• (c) introducing into the partially evacuated vessel one or more gaseous monomers and the gaseous free radical initiator, thereby forming a cross-linked coating on the surface;
• and
• (d) contacting the cross-linked coating with an ionic liquid comprising a cation and an anion;
• thereby forming the coating on the surface of the object, the device, or the assembly;
• wherein the cation is represented by:
• structural formula I:
• wherein, independently for each occurrence:
• R1 is —(C(R)2)n-;
• n is 2, or 3;
• R2 is —(C(R)2)m-R″;
• m is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10;
• and
• R is H, F, C1-C3 alkyl, or C1-C3 fluoroalkyl;
• R′ is H, F, C1-C8 alkyl, or C1-C8 fluoroalkyl;
• and
• R″ is H, F, C1-C3 alkyl, C1-C3 fluoroalkyl, C1-C3 alkyloxy, C1-C3 fluoroalkyloxy, C6-C10 aryl, C2-C8 alkenyl or C2-C8 fluoroalkenyl;
• wherein each instance of C6-C10 aryl is optionally substituted with one, two, three, four or five substituents independently selected from the group consisting of F, C1-C3 alkyl, C1-C3 fluoroalkyl, C1-C3 alkyloxy, and C1-C3 fluoroalkyloxy, or
• structural formula II:
• wherein, independently for each occurrence:
• R1 is —(C(R)2)n-;
• n is 2, or 3;
• R2 is —(C(R′)2)m-R″;
• m is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10;
• and
• R is H, F, C1-C3 alkyl, or C1-C3 fluoroalkyl;
• R′ is H, F, C1-C8 alkyl, or C1-C8 fluoroalkyl;
• and
• R″ is H, F, C1-C3 alkyl, C1-C3 fluoroalkyl, C1-C3 alkyloxy, C1-C3 fluoroalkyloxy, C6-C10 aryl, C2-C8 alkenyl or C2-C8 fluoroalkenyl;
• wherein each instance of C6-C10 aryl is optionally substituted with one, two, three, four or five substituents independently selected from the group consisting of F, C1-C3 alkyl, C1-C3 fluoroalkyl, C1-C3 alkyloxy, and C1-C3 fluoroalkyloxy.