Urushiol titanium polymer‐based composites coatings for anti‐corrosion and antifouling in marine spray splash zones

Abstract Seawater is highly corrosive, and the alternating dry and wet environment can cause severe corrosion in metal equipment. Moreover, marine equipment is also seriously affected by marine biofouling. These harsh conditions pose a serious threat to the integrity of marine equipment as well as their associated maritime activities and necessitate the development of effective coatings to minimize damage to the equipment. Urushiol titanium polymer/acrylic resin (UTP/AR) composite materials were developed. Then, marine anti‐corrosion and antifouling coatings were prepared from the UTP/AR composite materials using rosin‐modified Cu 2 O as an antifoulant. The composite coating with a UTP:AR mass ratio of 1:1 (UTP/AR3) showed the best chemical resistance and light aging resistance. UTP/AR3 also exhibited a good corrosion current density (2.009 × 10 −7 A cm −2 ) and corrosion potential (−0.5007 V), further indicating that the UTP/AR composite coatings have excellent anti‐corrosive properties. Marine field tests showed that the UTP/AR/Cu 2 O composite coatings with rosin‐modified Cu 2 O contents less than 20% showed stable, long‐term antifouling performance after immersion in seawater for 360 day. Briefly, the UTP/AR/Cu 2 O composite coatings have broad application prospects in the marine industry for materials in the spray splash zone.