A new antifouling paint based on a zinc acrylate copolymer

A series of novel acrylic copolymers, which contains zinc atom in a form of polymeric salt and can be exchanged with e.g. sodium ions in sea water, has been developed. As the ion exchange reaction proceeds, the polymers become soluble and leach out by flow of sea water. The polymers are considered to be suitable for antifouling paints, since erosion rates of antifouling paints formulated with the polymers could easily be controlled by varying the polymers' characteristics such as molecular weight, hydrophilicity, etc., without spoiling the paints' overall water resistance. After dynamic immersion the copper release rates, which represent efficacy of the main biocide, increased in most of the paint samples, and the copper release rates also depended upon the leaching out behaviors of the polymers. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.