Electrophoretic deposition of zinc alginate coatings on stainless steel for marine antifouling applications

The protection of steel against marine biofouling is usually achieved by the application of protective coatings. In this work, an antifouling coating based on alginate biopolymer was developed using the electrophoretic deposition method. Zinc cations have been incorporated into the material to obtain some anti-algae / bacteria properties and calcium cations have been included to contribute to its jellification. The coatings produces were characterized by XRD, SEM, EDX and XPS techniques: the microscopic coatings fully and uniformly covered the steel samples. Results of the biological assays have demonstrated the impact of the coating on marine bacteria and microalgae; the values are comparable to those obtained in bioassays using copper-based alginate coatings. The antifouling effect of the coatings was equivalent to the potency of a high-volume hydrogel effect. These low-cost biocompatible coatings can be attractive in a wide variety of marine applications.