TiO2antifouling coating based on epoxy-modified tung oil waterborne resin

The eco-friendly functionalized TiO 2 /polymer antifouling (AF) coating was successfully synthesized by dispersing TiO 2 nanoparticles in waterborne epoxy-modified tung oil resin. The AF effectiveness of coating was evaluated toward Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus, ATCC6538), Escherichia coli ( E. coli, ATCC8739) and diatom ( Cyclotella sp., FACHB-1635). The nanoTiO 2 /polymer AF coating showed good antimicrobial activity both under the light and dark conditions by comparison with the pristine TiO 2 nanoparticles and bulk polymer. Under light irradiation for 50 min, the AF coating showed only 8.4% and 8% survival rate for S. aureus and E. coli. In addition, The AF coatings exhibited favorable inhibition efficacy toward the growth and adhesion of Cyclotella sp., and the efficacy was enhanced with the increase of TiO 2 content. It can be concluded that TiO 2 nanoparticles endow the AF coatings with promoted fouling resistance properties.