The eco-friendly functionalized TiO2/polymer antifouling (AF) coating was successfully synthesized by dispersing TiO2 nanoparticles in waterborne epoxy-modified tung oil resin. The AF effectiveness of coating was evaluated toward Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus, ATCC6538), Escherichia coli ( E. coli, ATCC8739) and diatom ( Cyclotella sp., FACHB-1635). The nanoTiO2/polymer AF coating showed good antimicrobial activity both under the light and dark conditions by comparison with the pristine TiO2 nanoparticles and bulk polymer. Under light irradiation for 50 min, the AF coating showed only 8.4% and 8% survival rate for S. aureus and E. coli. In addition, The AF coatings exhibited favorable inhibition efficacy toward the growth and adhesion of Cyclotella sp., and the efficacy was enhanced with the increase of TiO2 content. It can be concluded that TiO2 nanoparticles endow the AF coatings with promoted fouling resistance properties.
