Environmentally friendly self-polishing anti-fouling coatings for marine applications

Abstract

Marine environment is highly prone to fouling for all water-immersed surfaces. This causes huge burden on marine vessels and structures. Environmental friendly coatings are highly desirable to replace existing toxic coatings. Extensive efforts have been devoted to the development of environmental friendly and effective anti-fouling marine coatings. We have developed zwitterionic self-polishing coatings, which combine self-polishing and non-fouling properties for long-term performance for applications including marine. Non-fouling behaviors are studied by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) while self-polishing behaviors are followed by weight loss. By varying the composition of coatings, self-polishing rates and non-fouling behaviors can be controlled.