Antifouling Activity of Hydroxyl Functional Groups in PVA Thin Films Against the Settlement of Sessile Organisms in Laboratory and Field Conditions

Sessile organisms cause serious fouling problems on artificial submerged surfaces all around the world. Tributyltin (TBT)-based antifouling paints have been widely used and show high antifouling performance against sessile organisms. However, TBT was banned from use in ship paints globally in 2008 by IMO because of its considerable endocrine disrupting effects in marine organisms. This has created a demand for ecofriendly antifouling materials. Recently, the antifouling properties of specific chemical and physical surface properties have attracted attention for the development of green antifouling technologies. Therefore, we focused on the relationship between surface chemical composition and antifouling activity against the settlement of sessile organisms. In this study, we prepared chemically crosslinked PVA thin films and investigated the antifouling activities against sessile organisms in both laboratory and field conditions. Our results highlight the inhibitory activity of hydroxyl functional groups in PVA against larval settlements with no toxicity detected in laboratory tests. Furthermore, the chemically crosslinked PVA coatings were demonstrated to display easy release activity against settled barnacles in the sea.