Flame Spray Construction of Metal-Organic Frame Based Polyimide Coating for Marine Antifouling Applications

Marine equipment continues to face the threat of marine biofouling, and the large-scale preparation of antifouling coatings using thermal spray technology has been emerging as one of the effective strategies. Polyimide coatings were prepared by flame spraying precursor liquid materials, and the spraying distance and substrate temperature were altered to obtain optimal coating structure. A novel antifouling agent NH₂-ZIF-8@BITEP was synthesized by using a zinc-based metal-organic framework ZIF-8 as a nanocarrier to bond epoxidized BIT. This antifouling agent was mixed with polyamide solution, and the MOF-based coatings were fabricated via flame spraying. The coating showed a sterilization rate of over 99.99% after co-incubation with Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus for 24 h, and effectively reduced the adhesion of diatoms after 14 days of co-culturing. This new MOF-loaded polyimide coating would open a new window for designing and constructing marine antifouling coating for long-term applications.