NOVEL NONTOXIC COATINGS DESIGNED TO RESIST MARINE FOULING

Coatings designed for applications as non-toxic non-fouling coatings h ave been prepared. Conventional coatings used in this application suff er from lack of adhesion to the substrate and lack of mechanical stren gth. Both of these detriments were overcome in this work by using a tw o-coat system: a basecoat which provides adhesion to the substrate, me chanical strength, and reactivity with the topcoat, and a topcoat whic h provides a non-toxic antiadhesive surface to discourage attachment o f marine organisms. Five examples of such two-coat systems are describ ed, in which the basecoat is a polybutadiene or urethane, and the topc oat is a silicone or hydrocarbon.