Marine Antifouling

Due to the small size of the nanomaterials, the particles are held in the coating lattice and are not readily leached out of the coating by the marine environment, while slowly releasing ions to help provide longer-term anti-fouling character. By the end of 2003, tributyl tin compounds will no longer be approved for use in marine antifouling coatings by the EPA. The need for longevity of antimicrobial activity in marine environments has been recognized, and is not fully addressed using only combinations of organic biocides and copper oxide. NanoTek^® copper oxide or doped zinc oxides can reside permanently in marine coating formulations and can increase the lifetime of the antimicrobial activity, meaning that cleaning and re-application cycles can be extended.