COatings with Self-switchable POLarity to mitigate biofouling within the emerging Blue Economy

Objective

Biofouling is a persistent challenge in marine environments, imposing major economic and environmental costs on key sectors of the emerging blue economy, including marine transportation, aquaculture, and offshore infrastructure. Conventional antifouling strategies rely heavily on toxic biocides, which disrupt ecosystems and food chains, leading to regulatory bans and a pressing demand for eco-friendly alternatives. This fellowship proposes a sustainable antifouling strategy based on self-switchable surface polarity to destabilise the electric double layer (EDL), the initial stage of surface conditioning that promotes bioaccumulation. The project will integrate piezoactive nanowires/belts (e.g., wurtzite Zinc Oxide) into a self-polishing coating matrix. As the coating erodes, embedded nanostructures become exposed at the solid–liquid interface, where their random bending generates dynamic polarity changes, resulting in EDL destabilisation. The continuous EDL-disruption is expected to impede surface conditioning and subsequent biofouling. This interdisciplinary research combines expertise in materials chemistry and physics, and the physical chemistry of biological systems, employing advanced synthesis, electrochemical, and microscopic techniques to characterise bio-nanointerfacial phenomena. Hosted at University College London, the fellowship provides cutting-edge research facilities, supervision, and training opportunities, while fostering international mobility and collaboration. Expected outcomes include the development of a new class of antifouling coating and a deeper mechanistic understanding of how EDL disruption affects bioaccumulation. The fellowship will enhance the researcher’s interdisciplinary skills, promote cross-border knowledge transfer, and directly support Europe’s Green and Digital Transitions under the European Research Area framework. Its results will deliver tangible benefits to the blue economy, society, and industrial end-users.