Fluorinated-Triazole-Modified ZnO and Its Application in Marine Antifouling

The accumulation of marine biological growth has irreversible negative effects on shipping and coastal fisheries. In this paper, a new antibacterial nanofiller-triazole fluoroaromatic hydrocarbon-modified nano-zinc oxide (ZnO-APTES-TRF)-was prepared by a Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne click chemical reaction. The modification of nano-ZnO with triazole ring fluoroaromatic hydrocarbons were testified by FT-IR, XPS, and EDS. The grafting rate of ZnO-APTES-TRF can reach 32.38%, which was verified by the TGA test. The ZnO-APTES-TRF was mixed with zinc acrylate resin to produce a low surface energy antifouling coating with a surface water contact angle of 106 degrees. The bactericidal rate of ZnO-APTES-TRF against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudoalteromonas sp. can reach more than 98% due to the synergistic effect of triazole and fluorine. The 120-day marine experiment shows that the low surface energy antifouling coating of ZnO-APTES-TRF/ZA is expected to be widely used in the field of marine antifouling.

Automated summary

This paper presents a new antibacterial nanofiller, triazole fluoroaromatic hydrocarbon-modified nano-zinc oxide, which can be mixed with zinc acrylate resin to produce a low surface energy antifouling coating. The coating exhibits a high bactericidal rate and is expected to be widely used in the field of marine antifouling.