Construction of a photothermal self-healing epoxy coating with anti-fouling and anti-corrosion functions inspired by the hierarchical surface morphology of starfish

Abstract

Marine corrosion and biofouling pose significant challenges to the durability of marine equipment. A new epoxy composite coating (SiEP-MBT@PLDH) with multifunctional properties of photothermal conversion, self-healing, antifouling and anticorrosion was successfully prepared by dispersing two-dimensional layered nanomaterials (MBT@PLDH) in an organosilicon-modified epoxy resin (SiEP). The self-healing ability of SiEP-MBT@PLDH is attributed to the photothermal effect of the MBT@PLDH nanosheets and the dynamic reversible flow of the SiEP matrix at elevated temperatures, enabling the closure of scratches upon near infrared (NIR) light irradiation. Its outstanding antifouling performance is attributable to the low surface energy characteristics of SiEP, coupled with the synergistic effects of the slow-release antifoulant MBT, effectively inhibiting protein adsorption, bacterial colonization, and algal adhesion. The MBT@PLDH nanosheets form a robust corrosion-resistant barrier, enabling the SiEP-MBT@PLDH composite to maintain a high low-frequency impedance modulus (|Z|_0.01 = 3.63 × 10⁹ Ω cm²) even after 70 d of immersion in 3.5 wt% of NaCl solution. This work offers a novel approach for the functional modification of epoxy resins.