Immobilization of Cu-MOF with SiO2 aerogel in a marine coating to enhance its long-term anti-biofouling performance

Marine biofouling can cause economic, environmental and safety issues. Here the Cu-MOF/SiO 2 aerogel@PDMS coatings were prepared to prevent the colonization of fouling organisms. The Cu-MOF-74 which can continuously provide copper ions was successfully synthesized through a simple method. SiO 2 aerogel was employed to immobilize Cu ions (Cu-MOF) by the formation of - Si - O -Cu- O -, thereby achieving the goal of more stable release of copper ions from the coating. And the improvement of coating hydrophobicity also helps to enhance the stability of MOFs. The Cu-MOF/SiO 2 aerogel@PDMS coating exhibits significant long-term antibacterial performance, with a maximum antibacterial rate of 99.5 %. And it can enhanced the long-term static anti-biofouling performance of PDMS in the local sea by effectively preventing the colonization of macrofouling organisms (e.g. barnacles, calcareous tubeworms).