A novel poly(2-hydroxyethyl acrylamide) copolymer for the fabrication of transparent antifogging coatings on polycarbonate substrates

Although polycarbonate (PC) is widely used in various applications, its inherent hydrophobicity limits its potential in applications that require high light transmittance due to surface fog caused by changes in temperature or humidity in the environment. This work presents a facile method to fabricate transparent antifogging coatings on PC substrates based on poly(2-hydroxyethyl acrylamide-co-2-aminoethyl methacrylate) (P(HEAA-co-AEMA)), in which the AEMA segments have an amino functional group that can react with the ester group on the surface of the PC substrate to form covalent urethane bonds during the heat curing process, avoiding the problems of coating susceptibility to mechanical damage, ease of peeling, etc. Moreover, HEAA units are employed as hydrophilic groups, providing antifogging performance. These antifogging coatings can be easily obtained by coating P(HEAA-co-AEMA) copolymers on PC substrates at room temperature and then curing them by thermal treatment. These transparent coatings exhibited excellent antifogging and self-cleaning performance. Furthermore, the coatings exhibited good adhesion in the cross-cut test and thermal stability in the hot water resistance test. Therefore, the present P(HEAA-co-AEMA) copolymer coatings are promising for practical antifogging applications. [Display omitted] •The preparation of P(HEAA-co-AEMA) uses nontoxic and eco-friendly solvents, making it suitable for widespread applications.•The antifogging coating can be covalently bonded to the PC substrate, effectively preventing susceptibility to mechanical damage and peeling.•The coating has excellent antifogging and self-cleaning properties, as well as heat-resistant boiling properties.