FOULING INHIBITION

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for inhibiting the fouling of a substrate in a fouling environment, more particularly the marine environment or another underwater environment. SOLUTION: The method for inhibiting the fouling of a substrate in a fouling environment comprises forming on the substrate, before exposure to the environment, a coating comprising a film-forming polymer (A) carrying silicon-containing functional groups, and thereafter applying a layer comprising a curable polymeric fouling-inhibiting material (B), more especially a curable polysiloxane or a curable fluorine-containing polymer, and bonding the applied layer to the coating by a condensation curing reaction involving the unreacted functional groups thereon. The initial coating can be applied over a range of worn or damaged anti-fouling coatings. The sequential application of layers is a simpler, more flexible and more controllable procedure than is offered by complex systems designed to produce outer siloxane-rich regions. Relatively long latency periods are achievable. COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT