Rue and ginger extracts as antifouling agents in silicone matrix coatings
The use of rue extract and ginger oleoresin as natural antifouling agents in a silicone matrix has been verified in a recently published work.
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed that both antifouling agents were trapped inside the silicone matrix. Bacterial adhesion tests showed that rue extract reduced the adhesion of gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia coli, while ginger oleoresin did not show any significant effect.
Rue extract showed excellent results
Optical microscopy images demonstrated that the presence of rue extract slightly increased the film’s porosity without impairing the silicone hydrophobicity, while ginger oleoresin significantly altered the film’s morphology (reducing the water contact angle). Finally, the sample containing rue extract showed excellent results against marine fouling after 6 months of immersion in a real marine environment. The polymer containing ginger oleoresin showed satisfactory results against marine fouling; however, the film showed adhesion failures after 6 months.
The study has been published in Journal of Coatings Technology and Research, Volume 18, Issue 4, July 2021.
