Marine antifouling oriented reconfigurable titanium alloy surfaces: Integrated functional-structural design based on...

Marine biofouling is a major challenge to the application of titanium alloys (TAs) in marine engineering equipment and offshore structures. In recent years, surface reconfiguration has attracted increasing interest as a strategy to mitigate biofouling on TA surfaces. Reconfigurable TA surfaces are fabricated through physical or chemical methods, which construct antifouling micro/nano-structures or molecular layers on the TA substrates, forming integrated functional-structural antifouling surfaces. The design of reconfigurable surfaces is based on a deep understanding of the interactions between fouling organisms and material surfaces. Through the precise control of TA surface properties, the key adhesion processes of fouling organisms, including surface sensing, physical anchoring, and molecular binding, can be disrupted, thereby undermining the foundation for biofouling. This integrated functional-structural antifouling strategy addresses the weak adhesion between conventional organic coatings and the passive layer of TAs, and achieves highly efficient and eco-friendly antifouling performance without releasing toxic agents. This perspective systematically summarizes the recent advances in reconfigurable TA surfaces for marine antifouling, including the reconfiguration mechanisms, surface designs, and their application scenarios, divided into the three categories of smooth, rough, and slippery surfaces. Finally, the key challenges in this field are identified, and future directions to advance marine antifouling are proposed.