Superhydrophobic silicone/SiC nanowire composite as a fouling release coating material

Abstract

A ceramic superhydrophobic series of polydimethylsiloxane/silicon carbide nanowire (SiC NW) composites was designed for marine fouling release (FR) coatings of the ship hull. Single-crystal SiC NWs with 50–80 nm diameters were grown in {111} crystal plane and employed as nanofillers. Ex situ silicone nanocomposites were facilely developed and cured by a mechanism of hydrosilation. The effects of incorporating different nanofiller concentrations on the surface, mechanical, and FR properties of silicone nanocomposites were extensively studied. Surface properties were studied by nonwettability and free energy and characterized via scanning electron and atomic force microscopes. Nanocomposites’ mechanical features were tested as durability factors. Selected microfoulants of fungi and bacterial progenies were used for biological assessments in the laboratory. A field test was performed on the developed coating samples in natural seawater for 3 months in a tropical area. Excellent distributed SiC NWs (0.5 wt%) showed outstanding hydrophobicity with 153° contact angle, 11.25 mN/m free energy of the surface, micro-/nanoscale roughness, and FR properties.