I-Corps: Development of a Fouling Release Coating Formulation

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种用于船体和龙骨的新型防污涂料，以减少现有涂料对环境的影响。尽管有报道称铜是一种有效的防污剂，但它对海洋生物有毒，因此人们正在寻找替代品。拟议中的创新是无铜、防污、非杀生的，预期寿命是目前商用防污涂料的五倍，并将对环境质量和河流、海洋的修复做出贡献。它将防止船体和龙骨上形成粘液层，以减少阻力，从而在保护海洋生物和减少有毒排放的同时减少燃料消耗。据估计，这种涂层每年可为每艘船节省350万美元的成本。I-Corps的这个项目是基于一种新型的防污(FR)纳米复合涂层的开发，以解决船体和龙骨中的生物污染问题。目前的挑战包括铜浸出、泥浆形成、低附着力、更严格的法规、船体和龙骨的维护成本、与停机时间相关的成本以及生物积累导致的高燃料消耗。该项目将：a)促进对接触角、正常和功能化纳米涂层表面的表面张力等因素所需性能的理解；b)概述未来的研究，如表面能、润湿性、薄膜厚度和流变学之间的相互作用；以及c)确定未来的表征需求。潜在成果包括将铜浸出降至9微克/平方厘米以下，并将铜负荷降至0.005%以下。该奖项反映了国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a novel anti-fouling coating for ship hulls and keels to reduce the environmental impact of current coatings. Although copper has been reported to be effective as an antifouling agent, it is toxic and poisonous to marine organisms and alternatives are sought. The proposed innovation is copper-free, fouling-resistant, and non-biocidal with a life expectancy of five times that of current commercial antifouling coating and will contribute environmentally to the water quality and restoration of rivers, seas, and ocean. It will offer resistance to slime layer formation on ship hulls and keels to reduce drag, subsequently reducing fuel consumption while protecting marine organisms and reducing toxic emissions. This coating could offer an estimated $3.5M/year per ship in cost savings.This I-Corps project is based on the development of a novel fouling-resistance (FR) nanocomposite coating to solve problems of biofouling in the hulls and keels of ships. Current challenges include copper leaching, slime formation, low adhesion, stronger regulations, maintenance costs for the ship hull and keel, costs associated with down time, and high fuel consumption resulting from bioaccumulation. This project will: a)advance the understanding of the required performance for factors such as the contact angle, surface tension of normally and functionalized nanopatterned surfaces; b) outline future studies such as interactions between surface energy, wettability, film thickness, and rheology; and c) determine future characterization needs. Potential outcomes include the reduction of copper leaching below 9 µg/cm2 and reduction of copper loading to less than 0.005%.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.