A Chinese research team has introduced a new type of self-polishing anti-fouling coating based on epoxy resin. Unlike conventional systems based on thermoplastic acrylics or polyurethanes, the new formulation uses a specially designed seawater-degradable epoxy resin (DIGE) containing a pyrrolidone structure. By blending DIGE with commercial epoxy resin (E51) in various mass ratios, both the degradation rate and antifoulant release can be precisely controlled. Reading tip: Epoxy coatingsUncover cutting-edge developments in water-borne epoxy resin technology and their use in various coatings application fields with the new EC Tech Report Water-borne Epoxy Coatings. Source: Li, J. et al., Sea-water degradable self-polishing epoxy thermosets for anti-fouling coatings.