Revolutionizing marine Protection: Innovative designs for In-Situ applicable underwater antifouling superoleophobic coatings

There is a high demand for underwater antifouling coatings for marine engineering and underwater activities. However, In-situ painting coating in a water environment for various large substrate surfaces is ideal but extremely challenging. In this work, we present a novel approach to achieving a fouling-repellent superoleophobic coating that can be directly applied underwater. The coating was prepared facilely via one-pot synthesis using epoxy resin E51 and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate as main components. This method involves the hydrolytic migration of side chains (Trimethylsilyl Methacrylate) interlocked with covalent cross-linking, enabling direct adhesion to a variety of wet substrates underwater without the need for surface pre-treatment. The resulting coating exhibits both underwater superoleophobicity (underwater oil contact angle>150 degrees) and versatile, sustainable substrate adhesion with a shear strength of up to 50 kPa, making it suitable for various underwater applications, such as oil/water separation. This work represents a facile and novel paradigm for designing future underwater antifouling coatings with superoleophobic properties and direct underwater adhesion.