Bionic non-smooth epoxy resin coating with corrosion inhibitor for drag-reduction and durability.

Ship hulls and subsea equipment are plagued by current resistance, seawater particles impact, corrosion and other challenges in the ocean. Consequently, developing sustainable nontoxic antifouling coatings is highly urgent. Discoveries from nature have inspired us to design high-efficiency, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective antifouling coatings. In the study, a strategy of combining microstructures and Benzotriazole (BTA) was proposed through constructing shark skin shield scale structure, which improved drag reduction and increased abrasion resistance as well. On the synergistic effect of BTA as corrosion inhibitor, the friction coefficient of the coating was significantly reduced and the anti-corrosion performance was greatly improved. Compared to the smooth pure epoxy coating, the anti-corrosion performance and the drag reduction rate of Texture-BTA-3 % coating was improved by 30 % and about 10 %, respectively. Furthermore, the effect of coating structure on corrosion resistance was revealed. This investigation will broaden the applications in marine navigation with the favorable performance. [Display omitted] • A method for preparing epoxy resin with imitating sharkskin surface texture has been proposed. • Verified the influence of the coating texture on anti-corrosion performance. • Drag reduction rate of the designed coating in water is about 10 %. • The friction coefficient is reduced of 40 % during friction process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]