Nontoxic/Non-Polluting Protection of Submerged Surfaces against Fouling.

We focused our efforts on laboratory and field studies of easy-release and antifouling coatings and their additives. Goals were 1 understanding how the best coatings prevent barnacle fouling and 2 developing the ability to predict when, and to determine why, coatings fail. Leaching of additives from foul release coatings plays a significant role in prevention of larval settlement on all of the best antifouling and foul release coatings. Some additives are broad-spectrum toxicants, while others are toxic to specific kinds of larvae by altering their immediate environment. All effective coatings produced leachates toxic to barnacle larvae. Measuring additive levels in coatings and the rate of leaching from experimental coatings into water can be used to predict when coatings will fail. In collaboration with scientists at the University of New Hampshire, we showed the utility of experimental approaches in which coatings were designed to fail predictably over time. In addition to this work, we met our responsibilities in the area of patents and publications.