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Schiff base modified PU coating enhances marine anti-fouling performance
By combining polyurethane with Schiff base modified silicone, a Chinese research team has developed an anti-fouling coating that delivers both robust mechanical properties and improved static anti-fouling efficiency.
Silicone-based coatings are widely used for marine anti-fouling but show limitations under static conditions, such as when ships remain in port. To address this issue, researchers developed a Schiff base modified polyurethane coating (PUx-SBSi). The modification retained silicone’s low surface energy while significantly enhancing anti-fouling performance through the Schiff base structure.
In laboratory tests, the PUx-SBSi coating inhibited adhesion of marine bacteria (Pseudomonas xiamenensis) by up to 95.3 %. It also demonstrated robust mechanical performance, achieving an adhesion strength of up to 7.3 MPa – a considerable improvement over conventional silicone coatings, which often suffer from weak adhesion and limited mechanical stability.
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Combining anti-fouling efficiency with mechanical robustness
The study highlights how PUx-SBSi coatings combine efficient protection against bio-fouling with strong mechanical resilience, making them promising candidates for marine applications. Particularly for ship hulls, these coatings could ensure long-term resistance to organism attachment, supporting the sustainable development of functional protective materials.
Source: Liu, S. et al., Schiff base modified polyurethane coating with enhanced mechanical property for marine anti-fouling application. Prog. Org. Coat. 203, 109138 (2025).
