In Situ Fabrication of One-Dimensional-Based Lotus-Like Silicone/ϒ–Al₂O₃ Nanocomposites for Marine Fouling Release Coatings

Prohibition on the utilization of organotins compounds in antifouling (AF), and Fouling release (FR) paints have attracted considerable ineptest as an environmentally friendly alternative. In this work, an ecofriendly series of lotus-like nano-structured organic-inorganic surfaces based on vinyl terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/ϒ-Al₂O₃ nanorods composites were successfully modeled for the first time via in-situ technique. The tailored nanocomposites were cured via hydrosilation mechanism and applied for marine FR coatings. Incorporation of various concentrations of controlled 1D nanofillers was inevitable to study the structure property relationship. Mechanical tests, durability parameters, and the FR and biological inertness were assessed. The results confirmed that uniform distribution of the prepared ϒ-Al₂O₃ nanorods dramatically improved their water repellency, homogenous topology, self-cleaning and fouling repellency. With nanofiller insertion up to 0.5% nanofillers, a particular increase in the contact angle (CA), decrease in the surface free energy (SFE), and topological homogeneity was observed with improving phsico-mechanical, and durability against UV properties. The biological assessments indicated excellent inhibition and superior AF potential of the 0.5% nanofiller composite coatings. Our finding introduces attractive merits such as simplicity, ecofriendly, economic feasibility, and potential application in marine FR nano-coatings.