STTR Phase II: The Next Generation of Environmentally Friendly Coatings for Marine Antifouling

这项小型企业技术转让（STTR）第二阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是开发一种新型无毒防污剂，使船体免受生物污染，而不会像目前的防污产品那样对环境造成危害。生物污垢是指藻类、藤壶和其他海洋生物在水下表面（如船体）的积累。采用生物燃料的船体会受到阻力，这会使船体减速，并使燃料消耗增加40%。对于全球航运业来说，这一增长将导致每年360亿美元的燃油成本损失。此外，由于生物污染造成的燃料消耗增加了3.86亿吨二氧化碳排放到大气中。目前市场上90%以上的防污剂含有铜，这是一种对海洋生态系统有害的有毒杀菌剂。该项目将开发一种具有竞争力的防污剂，避免对环境造成有害影响。这个小型企业技术转让（STTR）二期项目开发了一种高性能且安全的海洋防污涂料，可用于水生生态系统。这种防污涂料不含杀菌剂，但提供与市场领先的铜涂料相匹配的防污性能。新型涂层由天然防污的亲水性高分子材料组成。它通过在表面周围形成液体屏障来防止海洋生物污染，从而防止生物污染。虽然其他亲水性涂料在水环境中是出了名的不稳定，但这项创新包括一种应用方法，有助于大大提高涂料的稳定性和耐用性。第二阶段项目的目标是调整新型涂层的配方，以满足船舶终端用户的性能要求和监管基准，并展示小批量生产能力。这项工作的结果将是一种经过严格测试的、现成的高性能环保防污解决方案。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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 Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II project is the development of a novel non-toxic antifoulant that keeps the hulls of vessels clear of biofouling without the environmental harm imposed by today's current antifoulant products. Biofouling is the accumulation of algae, barnacles, and other marine organisms on underwater surfaces such as the hulls of ships and boats. A ship with a biofouled hull experiences drag, which slows it down and drives up fuel consumption by as much as 40%. For the global shipping industry, this increase imposes an annual fuel cost penalty of $36 billion. Moreover, the excess fuel consumption due to biofouling adds 386 million tons of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. Over 90% of antifoulants in the market today contain copper, a toxic biocide harmful to the marine ecosystem. This project will develop a competitive antifoulant which avoids harmful environmental impacts.This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II project develops a first-of-its-kind antifouling marine coating that is high-performing and safe for use in aquatic ecosystems. This antifouling coating contains no biocides but delivers antifouling performance matching that of the market leading copper coatings. The novel coating consists of a hydrophilic polymeric material that is naturally antifouling. It prevents biofouling by creating a liquid barrier around a surface which masks the surface from fouling marine organisms. While other hydrophilic coatings are notoriously unstable in aqueous environments, this innovation includes a method of application that helps to greatly increase the coating's stability and durability. The objectives of this Phase II project are to tune the formulation of the novel coating to meet marine end user performance requirements and regulatory benchmarks and to demonstrate small-batch production capabilities. The outcome of this work will be a rigorously tested, ready high-performing eco-friendly antifouling solution.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.