Antifouling (AF) coatings are indispensable in mitigating biological and inorganic fouling on surfaces exposed to flowing water. Beyond ship hulls, seawater-cooled heat exchangers, condensers, pipelines, and industrial cooling systems are among the most vulnerable components, where fouling directly compromises energy efficiency, reliability, and operational cost. Conventional AF coatings, largely organic and biocide-based, provide short-term relief but suffer from ecological drawbacks, limited durability, and incompatibility with high-temperature or chemically aggressive service conditions.
In contrast, inorganic glass-ceramic coatings offer a robust, chemically inert, and thermally stable surface that inherently resists adhesion and corrosion. Despite their widespread use in cookware, architectural panels, and industrial tanks, these materials have remained unexplored in antifouling applications—until now.
In this study, we introduce a new class of modified glass-ceramic coatings, specifically formulated to address the unique challenges of antifouling environments. Unlike traditional enamel systems, which were never designed with biofouling resistance in mind, our advanced formulation demonstrated clear functional performance: it allowed effortless cleaning without surface damage and showed no signs of microbially induced corrosion (MIC). These results establish enamel not only as a viable, but as a forward-looking and environmentally responsible solution for marine and industrial surface protection. With this development, we are leading the way in expanding the role of enamel technology beyond its conventional boundaries—bringing it into the future as a high-performance antifouling material.