Research Progress on New Environmentally Friendly Antifouling Coatings in Marine Settings: A Review

Any equipment submerged in the ocean will have its surface attacked by fouling organisms, which can cause serious damage. Traditional antifouling coatings contain heavy metal ions, which also have a detrimental effect on the marine ecological environment and cannot fulfill the needs of practical applications. As the awareness of environmental protection is increasing, new environmentally friendly and broad-spectrum antifouling coatings have become the current research hotspot in the field of marine antifouling. This review briefly outlines the formation process of biofouling and the fouling mechanism. Then, it describes the research progress of new environmentally friendly antifouling coatings in recent years, including fouling release antifouling coatings, photocatalytic antifouling coatings and natural antifouling agents derived from biomimetic strategies, micro/nanostructured antifouling materials and hydrogel antifouling coatings. Highlights include the mechanism of action of antimicrobial peptides and the means of preparation of modified surfaces. This category of antifouling materials has broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and environmental friendliness and is expected to be a new type of marine antifouling coating with desirable antifouling functions. Finally, the future research directions of antifouling coatings are prospected, which are intended to provide a reference for the development of efficient, broad-spectrum and green marine antifouling coatings.

Automated summary

Any equipment submerged in the ocean will be attacked by fouling organisms, causing serious damage. Traditional antifouling coatings with heavy metal ions have negative effects on the marine environment and are not practical. With increasing environmental awareness, new environmentally friendly and broad-spectrum antifouling coatings have become a hot topic in marine antifouling research. This review outlines the formation process and mechanism of biofouling, and describes recent research progress in new environmentally friendly antifouling coatings, including fouling release coatings, photocatalytic coatings, biomimetic antifouling agents, micro/nanostructured materials, and hydrogel coatings. Future research directions are also discussed to guide the development of efficient and green marine antifouling coatings.