Abstract
Macrofouling on ship hulls and man-made surfaces submerged in seawater causes technical and economic problem worldwide. Paints containing organotin compounds, such as TBT and TBTO, and cuprous oxide compounds have been commonly used as antifouling measures. However, the use of these metal-based compounds has been brought to public attention due to reports of environmental contamination. As such, antifouling technologies that are not only effective but also environmentally benign are urgently needed.
In the search for effective and “environmentally benign” antifouling methods, various efforts are being made to develop novel non-toxic antifouling materials and chemicals based on studies on settlement mechanisms of sessile organisms. The barnacle is one of the most commonly used species in fouling control experiments. This paper describes recent antifouling studies, such as surface wettability and microtopography and marine natural products, which are applications of findings from barnacle settlement mechanism studies.
