The effects of pH, dissolved ion content and relative water velocity on the release rate of an antifouling agent, cuprous oxide, from ships' hull paint have been investigated by rotating cylinder tests. Additionally, test paint panels were attached to a vessel and recovered after a certain period of voyage for the validation of the laboratory tests. In the initial period, the release rates are influenced by pH, dissolved ion content and water velocity, but once after a certain period of test, those effects become less significant. These phenomena can be explained as follows. When the paint film is fresh, the rate is controlled by chemical reaction, the surface and/or diffusion layer in the water phase governs the rate. After the antifouling substance in the paint film leached out from the near-surface region, a diffused layer (leached layer), that has little antifouling agent remained, is formed at the surface of the coating, and the diffusion in that layer can be a rate-determining process. The development of the leached layer is affected by a balance between the leaching rate of the antifouling ingredient and paint resin determined by the chemical properties and speed of the water. Thus, the leaching rates of antifouling agents are affected by the history of the paint in the water.
展开▼
