Trust, but verify! Performance evaluation of a commercially available antibacterial agent in antifouling coatings

A purely physical and long-lasting bacterial effect without any loss of material due to “organometallic molecular complexes [introducing] vibrations of the surface tension […], which influence the metabolism of the germs and kill them. […] This effect depends on the choice of involved materials and the resulting density of the different loads. The initial field test results were promising. Coatings with a small amount of antibacterial agent showed an improved antifouling performance compared to the reference coatings. However, only for one month. The reason for this was not what was expected. Contrary to the manufacturer's promise, the anti-bacterial agent did leach significant amounts of copper. The copper release was even higher than for a cuprous oxide reference coating. In conclusion, the mantra "Trust but verify“ resonates more than ever. Sometimes, substances get claimed to have a certain functionality but in-depth testing reveals that they have not. This specific example in fouling control illustrates this once again.