Abstract

Regulating biofouling is important for the maintenance of marine vessels, bridges, and other constructions. Marine organisms must also be protected. Here we propose a silane-based polymer coating that has features of both polysiloxanes and silicates: nontoxicity, weatherability, and a self-cleaning effect as an anti-biofouling method. We focus on the antibacterial activity of some metals and metallic nanoparticles applied to the silane-based coating that can remove biofouling at the late stage of biofilm formation and may be effective at the early stage. Silver, nickel, or copper nanoparticles dispersed to a silane-based polymer coating exhibit antibiofouling behavior, whereas tungsten or molybdenum nanoparticles enhance biofouling.