Epoxy-based antifouling coating
A new study describes the effects of the chemical composition on the hydrophobicity and antifouling performance of epoxy-based self-stratifying nanocomposite coatings.
Inspired by nature, the superhydrophobic surface has great potential for application in the field of antifouling due to its excellent fouling resistance. Nanocomposite coatings are an economical way to fabricate superhydrophobic surfaces by controlling the surface chemical composition and topography. However, the available open literature assessing the chemical composition effects on hydrophobicity and antifouling performance is rare.
Antifouling rate up to 94.1%
Now, epoxy-based nanocomposite coatings with various wettability were fabricated by using the air-spray technique. By reducing the solid surface free energy, the hydrophobicity was significantly improved and the coating bacame super-hydrophobic. This superhydrophobic coating showed great antifouling performance against marine diatom P. tricornutum and its antifouling rate is up to 94.1%. By reducing the surface free energy, the hydrophobicity of nanocomposite coatings can be improved significantly, consequently improving the antifouling performance effectively. These findings might provide insight into developing superhydrophobic nanocomposite coatings to inhibit biofouling.
The study has been published in Progress in Organic Coatings, Volume 167, June 2022.
