On the mechanism of marine fouling-prevention performance of oil-containing silicone elastomers

Autor: Stefan Kolle, Onyemaechi Ahanotu, Amos Meeks, Shane Stafslien, Michael Kreder, Lyndsi Vanderwal, Lucas Cohen, Grant Waltz, Chin Sing Lim, Dave Slocum, Elisa Maldonado Greene, Kelli Hunsucker, Geoffrey Swain, Dean Wendt, Serena Lay-Ming Teo, Joanna Aizenberg
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Scientific Reports, Vol 12, Iss 1, Pp 1-13 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2045-2322
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15553-4
Popis: Abstract For many decades, silicone elastomers with oil incorporated have served as fouling-release coating for marine applications. In a comprehensive study involving a series of laboratory-based marine fouling assays and extensive global field studies of up to 2-year duration, we compare polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) coatings of the same composition loaded with oil via two different methods. One method used a traditional, one-pot pre-cure oil addition approach (o-PDMS) and another method used a newer post-cure infusion approach (i-PDMS). The latter displays a substantial improvement in biofouling prevention performance that exceeds established commercial silicone-based fouling-release coating standards. We interpret the differences in performance between one-pot and infused PDMS by developing a mechanistic model based on the Flory–Rehner theory of swollen polymer networks. Using this model, we propose that the chemical potential of the incorporated oil is a key consideration for the design of future fouling-release coatings, as the improved performance is driven by the formation and stabilization of an anti-adhesion oil overlayer on the polymer surface.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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