Schiff base modified polyurethane coating with enhanced mechanical property for marine antifouling application

Silicone coatings cannot completely prevent the adhesion of marine organisms on hull surfaces under static conditions. In this study, a Schiff base modified polyurethane antifouling coating (PUx-SBSi) was prepared by a facile method. The silicone modified by Schiff base not only retained the low surface energy characteristic, but also effectively addressed the inherent issue of insufficient static antifouling performance in single silicone-based materials. The PUx-SBSi coatings inhibited the adhesion of marine bacteria (Pseudomonas xiamenensis (P. xiamenensis)) up to 95.3 %. Furthermore, the PUx-SBSi coatings exhibited exceptional mechanical property and a significantly higher adhesion strength, with a maximum of 7.3 MPa, which overcome the limitations of inadequate mechanical property and weak adhesion strength of single silicone-based coatings. Therefore, PUx-SBSi coatings with both mechanical properties and static antifouling performance are anticipated to effectively protect ship surfaces from marine organisms, playing a crucial role in the sustainable development of functional coating materials.