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Tremendous potential in the field of anti-biofouling coatings to prevent stainless steel (SS)-based underwater pipelines, sea vessels and other marine structures have been recognized to protect from biofouling, which is often initiated by algae attachment over the surface. In this work, hydrophobicity in spray-pyrolysed tungsten oxide (TO) coating on SS-316 substrate has been reported for the first time, via post-processing treatment using octadecyltrimethoxysilane (ODTMS) to induce self-assembled monolayer (SAM). Initially, structural and vibrational characteristics of ODTMS and ODTMS-treated TO (OTO) coating on SS were analysed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopies. OTO-coating depicted a water contact angle (WCA) of 121°, revealing its hydrophobic nature, with further affirmation from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Durability of the TO-coating was explored using the scratch hardness (Hs) test at different loading conditions (5, 10 and 15 N). Biofouling study was conducted by culturing blue-green algae (BGA, Phormidium sp.) in an in-house laboratory setup for 40 days, using seawater (collected from the Arabian Sea, Karnataka). The SS, TO- and OTO-coatings were immersed for 14 days in a controlled sea-water environment in the laboratory with the presence of BGA. A comparative study on the areal-algae attachment was keenly analysed over SS-, TO- and OTO-coatings. This work can be projected as a promising application providing multi-dimensional solutions in creating scratch-resistant and anti-biofouling coatings on SS in the shipbuilding industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the development of numerous coating techniques and materials, today’s anti-biofouling applications require coatings that are facile and mechanically robust in nature. Studies on the hydrophobicity of rare-earth oxides have risen due to their unusual chemical properties; ytterbium oxide is one such oxide substance. In this study, spray combustion was used to create a hydrophobic coating of ytterbium oxide (Yb2O3) on a stainless steel (SS) substrate, which was then vacuum-treated. GI-XRD analysis confirmed the sesquioxide cubic crystalline structure of Yb2O3. FESEM images displayed an underneath wavy morphological coating with discrete particles on the surface. The thickness and roughness were ~12 and ~0.17 µm, respectively. When 5 and 10 N loads were applied, the coating showed better scratch hardness than uncoated SS. Water contact angle (WCA) <10° indicated superhydrophilicity in the fabricated coating. After vacuum treatment, it became hydrophobic, and the WCA was 128°; because of the increment in the relative area fraction of the C–H bond. The proportion of area covered by blue–green algae (Phormidium sp.) on vacuum-treated Yb2O3 coating was only 3% compared to uncoated SS samples, 80%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a facile spray pyrolysed hydrophobic robust tungsten oxide (WO3) films were deposited at an annealing temperature of 400°C on inexpensive glass substrates, using clear and homogeneous precursor solution containing tungsten hexachloride and 2-methoxyethanol. The 10 and 15 times sprayed films were polycrystalline with the monoclinic crystal structure, uniform with the submicron-sized grain morphology (size ~320–420 nm), with an average surface roughness ranging from 12 to 17 nm and transparent above 60% in the visible region with a thickness of 380 and 550 nm, respectively. Elemental existence of tungsten and oxygen was recognized on the surface of the films possessing the highest lattice oxygen percentage of 91.1. Increment in the scratch hardness of the films with the number of sprays compared to uncoated glass was identified. The films were hydrophilic in nature (water contact angle <8°), converted to hydrophobic (>120°) by treating chemically with octadecyltrichlorosilane to form a self-assembled monolayer on the top and the hydrophobicity remained same (~120°) even after a year. These films with unique and combined properties of scratch hardness and hydrophobicity can serve in the potential application as antifouling coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]