Development of Environmentally Benign Marine Coatings

2002-2009

Project Summary:

	View of the basal plate of a Balanus Amphitrite barnacle.
	Cypris larva of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite.

The control of biofouling on underwater surfaces such as boat hulls, pier pilings, and power plant cooling water intake systems is a problem that continues to evade obvious solutions. One technology used to attack this problem is toxic paints. Many current toxic paints use metallic compounds like copper or organotin, which deter settlement of organisms before they attach and kill newly recruited organisms. These paints have been used because they are highly effective against biofouling; however, they cause a host of environmental problems by leaching toxins including effects on non-target species and compromised water quality. As a result of the non-discriminate effects of toxic paints, there has been movement towards developing non-toxic, foul-release coatings as an alternative. Foul-release coatings work because the chemical properties of these coatings are such that organisms adhere poorly and are subsequently removed with very little force. The Environmentally Benign Marine Coatings group evaluates the performance of emerging coatings by determining their resistance to fouling, and by measuring the force needed to remove animals once they have adhered to coatings. In collaboration with colleagues from other institutions the Environmentally Benign Marine Coatings group is also studying the fracture processes that occur when organisms are removed from coatings. This work seeks to determine the fundamental physical parameters controlling release with the intent to design better working non-toxic, environmentally benign coatings. Work in this area is supported through the Office of Naval Research.

People Involved:

• Dr. Dean E. Wendt, Principal Investigator
• Gregory L. Kowalke, Former Research Associate
• Jessica Connolly, Reseach Associate
• Lenora Brewer, Research Assistant
• Collin Johnson, former Graduate Student
• Corbin Hodges, Graduate Student
• Lisa Needles, Graduate Student
• Ruth Armour, former Undergraduate Student
• Danielle Castle, former Undergraduate Student
• Nicholas Nesbitt, Undergraduate Student
• Emily Wilson, Undergraduate Student
• Catrin Phillips, Undergraduate Student
• Helen Dickson, Undergraduate Student

Research Funded by:

Office of Naval Research (ONR)