Search

Silicone elastomer coatings have attracted increasing attention owing to their eco-friendly nature, excellent fouling release ability and drag-reducing property. However, the poor mechanical properties and lack of fouling resistance limit their applications. Herein, a silicone-based polyurethane with 2-ureido-4[1H]-pyrimidinone (UPy) and amphiphilic pendant chains is reported. The UPy groups and urethane can form hydrogen bonds with various substrates so that the coating has significantly improved adhesion strength (0.9–3.0 MPa) compared with the PDMS elastomer (0.3–0.4 MPa). Moreover, the quadruple hydrogen bonding between UPy moieties allows the polymer to have excellent self-healing ability and high elasticity. The modified polymeric coating has low surface energy (24 mJ m−2) and low elastic modulus (1.9 MPa), so it exhibits good fouling release performance. Besides, the amphiphilic side chains can effectively resist protein adsorption and adhesion of the marine bacteria Pseudomonas sp. and diatom Navicula incerta. The novel design can improve the resistance of silicone coating to biofouling and mechanical forces and is promising for high-performance antifouling coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fouling release coatings are receiving growing attention because they are eco-friendly, where their elasticity plays a critical role in detaching biofouling. In this study, a non-elastic organic–inorganic hybrid coating is prepared by a facile sol–gel process by mixing the silane-terminated telomer of dodecafluoroheptyl methacrylate (DFMA) and poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA), triethoxyoctylsilane (KH832) with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS). Such a coating with a tethered amphiphilic telomer is transparent and glassy. It also exhibits excellent adhesion to the substrate and high hardness, which can effectively prevent mechanical damage and also inhibit the rooting of fouling organisms. In particular, the coating has remarkable fouling release performance, even though it has a high modulus. This study clarifies that the low surface energy (∼20 mJ m−2) and low surface roughness (<3 nm) are responsible for the fouling release ability of the non-elastic coating. Moreover, the coating surface covered with non-leaching amphiphilic side chains can effectively inhibit the adhesion of marine bacteria, biofilms and diatoms. This robust hybrid coating with fouling release and fouling resistance ability is promising for use in anti-biofouling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine biofouling is one of the most challenging problems today. Silicone polymer based coatings with a low surface energy and elastic modulus can effectively inhibit or release biofouling. However, their non-repairable properties and poor antifouling ability under static conditions limit their applications. Here, we report a self-repairing coating consisting of poly(dimethylsiloxane) based polyurea (PDMS-PUa) and a small amount of organic antifoulant (4,5-dichloro-2-n-octyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one) (DCOIT). The coating can completely recover its mechanical properties after damage either in air or artificial seawater at room temperature. Such recovery can be accelerated at a higher temperature. Moreover, the release rate of DCOIT is almost constant and can be regulated by its concentration. Six-month marine field tests demonstrate that the system has a good antifouling/fouling release performance even under static conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]