Marine Antifouling Coatings Based on Durable Bottlebrush Polymers

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Marine Biology

Background:

• Marine biofouling poses significant challenges to maritime industries, necessitating effective and environmentally friendly antifouling solutions.
• Traditional antifouling coatings often rely on biocides, raising environmental concerns and leading to regulatory restrictions.
• Development of durable, biocide-free antifouling technologies is crucial for sustainable marine applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a next-generation, biocide-free, and durable marine antifouling coating.
• To create a scalable and easily applicable coating technology using novel polymer combinations.
• To evaluate the antifouling performance and durability of the developed coating under various conditions.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of 2-hydroxypropyl acrylamide (HPA) based bottlebrush polymers with concentrated polymer brush (CPB) structures for bioinertness.
• Synthesis of photoreactive copolymers of HPA and N-benzophenone acrylamide (BPA) for sunlight-induced cross-linking.
• One-step coating application by mixing bottlebrush polymers and photoreactive copolymers, followed by 30 min UV exposure.

Main Results:

• The synthesized bottlebrush polymers demonstrated excellent bioinertness and resistance to acid/base hydrolysis.
• The coating exhibited stability in seawater for 3 months and prevented cypris larva attachment for up to 9 days.
• Optimized coatings successfully prevented marine organism settlement for up to 73 days in sea trials.
• The coating process is scalable and applicable to various polymer substrates.

Conclusions:

• A novel, biocide-free marine antifouling coating technology based on polymer blends has been successfully developed.
• The coating offers a scalable, durable, and effective solution for preventing marine biofouling.
• This technology holds significant potential for application in environmentally friendly marine paints and coatings.