Techniques for the measurement of natural product incorporation into an antifouling coating

By Chambers, L.D.; Wharton, J.A.; Wood, R.J.K.; Walsh, F.C. & Stokes, K.R.
Published in Progress in Organic Coatings NULL 2014

Abstract

The control of biofouling can be achieved by a variety of methods but for an open system, such as a ship's hull, a protective paint coating is the most adopted method. The incorporation of a natural product extract directly into a coating has received little previous attention. This study has investigated a combination of the antifouling compound (a natural product extract) and the delivery system (control depletion polymer) investigated together. It was necessary to investigate the natural product incorporation into a coating and finally assess the antifouling system including the primer layers in the natural marine environment. Natural products must first be practical as antifoulants to be developed further into a functional system by their incorporation into surfaces or coatings. To demonstrate this, the natural product under investigation was homogenised into a blank proprietary antifouling paint system binder, applied to primed and un-primed ship grade steel and immersed in marine environments. Electrochemical techniques were used to investigate the effects of natural product incorporation into a coating. In addition, optical and scanning electron microscopes were used to assess the physical characteristics of the coating system. The most rigorous test for an antifouling system is a field trial. Field trials were completed at a raft exposure facility, in estuarine dock conditions at the Empress dock, National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK.

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