Preparation and characterization of a novel conducting nanocomposite blended with epoxy coating for antifouling and antibacterial applications

In this study, novel epoxy-based paint was synthesized to be applied on carbon steel. The composition of the paint mainly contains epoxy mixed with an electronically conductive polymer, polyaniline (PANI), alone and combined with its nanocomposite derivation containing ZnO nanorods as an additive. The antifouling properties of the paint applied on carbon steel were investigated. The conductive nanocomposite was synthesized by an in situ chemical oxidative method of aniline in the presence of ZnO nanorods and then well characterized. The antifouling behavior was evaluated for 9 months in the Caspian Sea and Persian Gulf. Results revealed that epoxy/PANI-ZnO nanocomposite coating can prevent accumulation of marine macroorganisms on the coated panel. In addition, the epoxy coating comprising PANI-ZnO nanocomposite as well as the epoxy/ZnO coating exhibit significant antibacterial characteristics against (E. coli and S. epi). We interpret the antifouling and antibacterial behavior of the paint with (i) the presence of emeraldine salt structure in PANI which develops a surface pH in a range of 4-5 preventing the adhesion of microorganisms on the surface and (ii) the antibacterial and antifouling properties of zinc oxide nanorods that occurred by the production of hydrogen peroxide on the surface of the coating.