While nature has optimized its antifouling strategies over millions of years, synthetic antifouling coatings have not yet reached technological maturity. For an antifouling coating to become technically feasible, it should fulfill many requirements: high effectiveness, long‐term stability, durability, ecofriendliness, large‐scale applicability, and more. It is therefore not surprising that the search for the perfect antifouling coating has been going on for decades. With the discovery of metal‐based antifouling paints in the 1970s, fouling was thought to be a problem of the past, yet its untargeted toxicity led to serious ecological concern, and its use became prohibited. As a response, research shifted focus toward a biocompatible alternative: polymer‐based antifouling coatings. This has resulted in numerous advanced and innovative antifouling strategies, including fouling‐resistant, fouling‐release, and fouling‐degrading coatings. Here, these novel and exciting discoveries are highlighted while simultaneously assessing their antifouling performance and practical feasibility.

Catechols play an important role in many natural systems. They are known to readily interact with both organic (e.g., amino acids) and inorganic (e.g., metal ions, metal oxides) compounds, thereby providing a powerful system for protein curing. Catechol crosslinked protein networks, such as sclerotized cuticle and byssal threads of the mussel, have been shown to exhibit excellent mechanical properties. A lot of effort has been devoted to mimicking the natural proteins using synthetic catechol-functionalized polymers. Despite the success in developing catechol-functionalized materials, the crosslinking chemistry of catechols is still a subject of debate. To develop materials with controlled and superior properties, a clear understanding of the crosslinking mechanism of catechols is of vital importance. This review describes the crosslinking pathways of catechol and derivatives in both natural and synthetic systems. We discuss existing pathways of catechol crosslinking and parameters that affect the catechol chemistry in detail. This overview will point towards a rational direction for further investigation of the complicated catechol chemistry.

Nature has developed protein‐based adhesives whose underwater performance has attracted much research attention over the last few decades. The adhesive proteins are rich in catechols combined with amphiphilic and ionic features. This combination of features constitutes a supramolecular toolbox, to provide stimuli‐responsive processing of the adhesive, to secure strong adhesion to a variety of surfaces, and to control the cohesive properties of the material. Here, the versatile interactions used in adhesives secreted by sandcastle worms and mussels are explored. These biological principles are then put in a broader perspective, and synthetic adhesive systems that are based on different types of supramolecular interactions are summarized. The variety and combinations of interactions that can be used in the design of new adhesive systems are highlighted.

The synthesis of ordered mesoporous metal composites and ordered mesoporous metals is a challenge because metals have high surface energies that favor low surface areas. We present results from the self-assembly of block copolymers with ligand-stabilized platinum nanoparticles, leading to lamellar CCM-Pt-4 and inverse hexagonal (CCM-Pt-6) hybrid mesostructures with high nanoparticle loadings. Pyrolysis of the CCM-Pt-6 hybrid produces an ordered mesoporous platinum-carbon nanocomposite with open and large pores (≥10 nanometers). Removal of the carbon leads to ordered porous platinum mesostructures. The platinum-carbon nanocomposite has very high electrical conductivity (400 siemens per centimeter) for an ordered mesoporous material fabricated from block copolymer self-assembly.