| 摘要 |
An improved, environnmentally safe protective coating for marine surfaces is provided which is specially formulated for application to boat hulls for resisting marine growth thereon while minimizing release of toxic antifoulants into the environment. The coatings of the invention can therefore be used on boat hulls for preventing marine growth without the severe pollution effects associated with conventional antifoulant paints. The coatings are preferably made from powdered mixtures which include respective quantities of a polyamide such as Nylon 11, and a metallic antifoulant. In certain cases, the compositions may include an inorganic porous carrier such as carbon black, as well as glass spheres. In particularly perferred embodiments, use is made of an antifoulant such as elemental tin or copper or mixtures thereof together with an adhesive and an algicide. Application of the mixture to marine surfaces involves providing a supersonic gas stream, passing the gas stream through an electric arc thereby heating the gas stream and converting a portion thereof to plasma, injecting a quantity of the powdered mixture into the heated gas stream substantially downstream from the arc so as to melt the powder without overheating it, and then spraying the melted mixture onto a surface whereupon it cools and provides a bonded protective coating thereon. |
