Marine biofouling refers to the permanent attachment of marine bacteria, algae, barnacles and other marine organisms onto submerged surfaces. It has long been known as a serious threat to maritime industry, causing huge economic loss annually. International ban on organotin in marine coating urged the needs to find safer and more effective antifoulant substitutes, thereby facilitating researches on discovering novel antifouling compounds from marine sources. In previous studies, we discovered that 5-octylfuran-2(5H)-one (known as butenolide) demonstrates high potency and specificity towards inhibition of larval settlement of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite (=Amphibalanus amphitrite), making it a good substitute for commercialized antifouling compounds. In this thesis, I first fo...[ Read more ]

Marine biofouling refers to the permanent attachment of marine bacteria, algae, barnacles and other marine organisms onto submerged surfaces. It has long been known as a serious threat to maritime industry, causing huge economic loss annually. International ban on organotin in marine coating urged the needs to find safer and more effective antifoulant substitutes, thereby facilitating researches on discovering novel antifouling compounds from marine sources. In previous studies, we discovered that 5-octylfuran-2(5H)-one (known as butenolide) demonstrates high potency and specificity towards inhibition of larval settlement of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite (=Amphibalanus amphitrite), making it a good substitute for commercialized antifouling compounds. In this thesis, I first focused on the development of a novel antifouling coating by combining butenolide into biodegradable polymer poly(lactic acid) based polyurethane, to achieve a steady and constant release of butenolide and prevent the adhesion of fouling organisms. Laboratory tests, including the release rate measurement of butenolide from the coatings and the hydrolytic degradation of the polymer itself to evaluate the performance of the coatings, have been conducted. We also tried to optimize butenolide structure to improve its properties, which was assessed through larval settlement assay using larvae of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite and tubeworm Hydroides elegans.