Marine engineering equipment and underwater facilities have long been plagued by microbial fouling. Traditional antifouling technologies easily cause ecological pollution, making the development of efficient and environmentally friendly long - term antifouling coatings crucial. Recently, the Team for Coupling Damage and Life Extension of Materials in Harsh Environments at the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has achieved new breakthroughs in the research and development of new antifouling materials.
The team has successfully developed degradable silicone hydrogel multicomponent synergistic antifouling coatings by integrating the four - dimensional protection mechanisms of "fouling release, fouling resistance, dynamic sterilization, and interface self - renewal". Researchers adopted the sol - gel method combined with dynamic Schiff base chemistry to achieve controlled copolymerization of the four - component system of polyethylene glycol, polydimethylsiloxane, terephthalaldehyde, and cinnamaldehyde, constructing an intelligent antifouling interface.
The coating surface can trigger degradation through water, realizing controlled release of bactericidal components and forming a synergistic effect of "continuous self - renewal - fouling inhibition". The in - situ enrichment of amphiphilic polymers endows it with dual characteristics of "fouling adhesion impedance" and "fouling release". The optimized coating has a bactericidal rate of 98.8%, an anti - biological adhesion efficiency of 99.8%, and a theoretical antifouling life of 5.5 years (with a thickness of 200μm), demonstrating efficient and long - term anti - biological fouling capabilities.
The relevant research results, titled "Constructing Self - Renewing Silicone - Hydrogel Hybrid Coatings with Integrated Fouling Resistant/Release/Killing Mode toward Superior Biofouling Defense", were published in the journal SMALL, providing technical support for the sustainable development of marine equipment protection and other fields