The present application discloses novel multilayer polysiloxane-based fouling control coating systems having included therein active constituents like biocides and/or enzymes. Further, the polysiloxane-based layers may individually have included as a part thereof hydrophilic oligomer/polymer moieties, and/or said may further comprising one or more hydrophilic-modified polysiloxane oils.

The invention relates to a tie-coat composition comprising one or more binder polymers obtainable by copolymerizing a mixture of ethylenically unsaturated monomers, the one or more binder polymers comprising pendant curable alkoxysilyl functional groups of general formula (I) —X-L-Si(R.sup.1).sub.n(OR.sup.2).sub.(3-n) (I) wherein L is a hydrocarbon linker group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, X is a heteroatom other than a sulphur atom, n is 0, 1, or 2; R.sup.1 is an alkyl radical with 1 to 20 carbon atoms, R.sup.2 is an alkyl radical with 1 to 20 carbon atoms or an alkylalkoxy radical with 2 to 20 carbon atoms, wherein in at least 5 mole % of the curable alkoxysilyl functional groups comprised in the one or more binder polymers the hydrocarbon linker group L is a methyldiyl group (L1) and in at least 5 mole % of the curable alkoxysilyl functional groups comprised in the one or more binder polymers the hydrocarbon linker group L is a hydrocarbon group having 2 to 20 carbon atoms (L2), wherein the tie-coat composition does not comprise a crosslinking agent. The invention further relates to a process for controlling aquatic fouling on a surface of a man-made object comprising applying such tie-coat composition and a topcoat composition, and to a substrate coated with a tie-coat layer deposited from such tie-coat composition and a topcoat layer.

Surface structured articles comprising a polymer matrix and a dispersed phase, the article having first and second opposed major surfaces, at least a portion of the first major surface is a microstructured, anisotropic surface comprises features having at least one dimension in a range from 1 micrometer to 500 micrometers, wherein the dispersed phase comprises an antimicrobial material, and wherein at least a portion of the dispersed phase is present on the microstructured, anisotropic surface. Surface structured articles are useful, for example, for marine applications (e.g., surfaces in contact with water (e.g., fresh water, ocean water)) such as boats, ships, piers, oil rigs, decks, and roofing materials.

Zwitterionic monomers, carnitine-derived zwitterionic polymers, carnitine ester cationic monomers, carnitine ester cationic polymers, conjugate compositions including a carnitine-derived zwitterionic polymer, and related compositions' and methods are provided which have various uses including as coatings, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, encapsulation materials, and antifouling materials, among other utilities.

To provide a water/oil repellent layer-provided substrate having improved long-term reliability of abrasion resistance, and a method for producing it.

A water/oil repellent layer-provided substrate comprising a substrate, an undercoat layer formed on the surface of the substrate, and a water/oil repellent layer formed on the surface of the undercoat layer, in this order, wherein the alkali deficiency index is higher than 0.0, as determined by a depth profile obtained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) by C.sub.60 ion sputtering from the side of the surface of the water/oil repellent layer, taking the total concentration of fluorine, silicon, aluminum, alkali metal elements and oxygen as 100 at %.

The disclosure relates to a method of applying a coating to an external surface of a man-made object to be at least partly immersed in water (e.g. a vessel or an offshore drilling station) for a time period wherein there is relative movement between the immersed object and the water. The applied coating has a minimal resistance rating for a set of coatings. The method comprises a computer-implemented coating selection process, which comprises a first steps of obtaining, for each coating in the set of coatings, a total roughness value of the external surface based on a fouling roughness value, a macro roughness value and a micro roughness value associated with each coating. The coating selection process comprises in a second step selecting a coating from the set of coatings, wherein the selected coating has a minimal resistance rating associated with the obtained total roughness value for the time period. The method further comprises applying the selected coating to the external surface of the man-made object.

A method is provided for establishing a fouling-release coating system on a surface of a substrate, as well as the fouling-release coating system per se. The fouling-release coating composition which is used in the method comprises one or more sterically hindered amines, in particular 2,2,6,6-tetraalkyl piperidine derivatives.

Disclosed herein are methods specifically tailored for facilitating the mitigation of cosmetic impressions associated with fingerprint impressions on surface(s) of articles of manufacture made from anodized substrates. To this end, such methods provide for removal of fingerprints by enzymatically functionalizing the surface(s) of the article of manufacture (e.g., a cosmetic coating thereof) to generate an enzymatically active surface and activating such enzymatically functionalized surface(s) to promote such fingerprint removal. Thus methods and articles of manufacture made in accordance with such methods provide improved end-use utility and functionality of many products for consumer electronic applications, automotive applications, building materials applications, and the like.

The embodiments herein relate to a non-aqueous liquid foul release coating composition and process for controlling aqueous biofouling on man-made objects, including a curable resin system (A) comprising i) a curable polymer free of fluorine atoms and having a backbone selected from a polyurethane, a polyether, a polyester, a polycarbonate or a hybrid of two or more thereof, and having at least one terminal or pendant alkoxysilyl group and ii) optionally a curing agent and/or a catalyst; and (B) a marine biocide and/or a non-curable, non-volatile compound is selected from the group consisting of fluorinated polymers, sterols and sterol derivatives, and hydrophilic-modified polysiloxane oils, wherein the coating composition is essentially free of a curable polysiloxane, and wherein the coating composition is essentially free of non-curable polysiloxanes other than non-curable hydrophilic-modified polysiloxane oils.

To provide a water/oil repellent layer-provided substrate having a water/oil repellent layer excellent in abrasion resistance, a deposition material and a method for producing a water/oil repellent layer-provided substrate.

The water/oil repellent layer-provided substrate of the present invention is a water/oil repellent layer-provided substrate comprising a substrate, an undercoat layer and a water/oil repellent layer in this order, wherein the water/oil repellent layer comprises a condensate of a fluorinated compound having a reactive silyl group, the undercoat layer contains an oxide containing silicon and an alkaline earth metal element, and the ratio of the molar concentration of the alkaline earth metal element in the undercoat layer to the molar concentration of silicon in the undercoat layer is from 0.005 to 5.