New Antifouling Systems 



Multiple Antifoullng Paints , Some new commercial antifouling paints incor- 

 porate a mixture of antlf oulants. Commonly, trlbutyltln fluoride (TBTF) Is 

 mixed with cuprous oxide In the newest proprietary products .^^'^^ Although 

 the cost of mixed antlf oulant coatings Is higher, their performance exceeds 

 that of the mono-antlfoulant paints. While there Is no U.S. Government 

 specification defining a multiple antlf oulant paint, such development is 

 under way, 



Organometalllc Polymer Paint , A new approach to incorporate antlfoulants 

 in paint is by chemical combination of antlfoulants to a polymer backbone 

 which then serves as the paint resin. ^^.'^^ The antlf oulant is released in 

 seawater as to polymer dissociates. A research group at the David W. 

 Taylor Naval Ship Research and Development Center is synthesizing these 

 polymers and preparing coatings with them. Researchers in foreign 

 countries, such as Japan, Australia, England, etc, have also been very 

 active in developing organometalllc poljmier (OMP) paints, °°'°" Other uses, 

 such as Impregnants for concrete and other materials, are also being pur- 

 sued. Although the cost of OMP coatings will be 20 to 50 percent higher 

 than that of non-OMP paints, their performance may justify their use. 



Ablative Coatings , A new organometalllc polymer coating Cself-pollshing 

 copol3mier CSPC)), having a low plrment content, ablates in flowing water, 

 thus generating a self-smoothing effect. This material has not had enough 

 usage to prove or disprove the claims made by the vendor (International 

 Paint Company); it may be relatively Ineffective for stationary structures. 

 Its cost is greater than that of conventional paints by 50 percent or more. 



Paints Containing New Antlfoulants . New biocides and growth regulators 

 which are environmentally acceptable are being examined as antlfoulants 

 and are being developed at an accelerated pace. A successful candidate 



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