Antifouling Behavior of a Low-Pressure Cold-Sprayed Cu/Al₂O₃ Composite Coating

摘要

In the present investigation, a Cu/Al2O3 composite antifouling coating was designed on Q235 steel toimprove the service life of vessels, components and structures used in marine environments. The baseAl2O3 coat was prepared by flame spraying and the antifouling Cu coat was prepared by cold spraying.The Al2O3 layer serves as an insulation layer to separate the copper coating from electrical connectionto the steel substrate in case of galvanic corrosion, which also can guarantee the release rate of Cu()and Cu(II) ions under cathodic protection conditions. The physical and antifouling performance wereexamined and the following conclusions were drawn: An excellent Cu/Al2O3 antifouling coating canbe deposited on the steel substrate. The typical bond strength is about 10MPa between Cu layer andAl2O3 layer and bond strength between the Al2O3 layer and the substrate was about 20MPa. Theantifouling performance, compared to a blank sample (Al2O3 coated steel) indicates that the Cu/Al2O3antifouling coating can inhibit 85% of biofouling by barnacles, diatoms and mussels.