Nippon Paint Marine harnesses biomimetics in next-gen coatings

Written by Nick Blenkey

Image: Nippon Marine Paints

Nippon Paint Marine has published a new white paper detailing the role that biomimetics has played in the development of its patented HydroSmoothXT hull coating technology.

Biometics is an “imitating nature” approach to technology development and a specialist team from Nippon Paint Marine’s R&D program studied the natural characteristics of marine life to inform the development of the HydroSmoothXT technology. The performance of Nippon Paint Marine’s antifouling coatings range – which include LF-Sea, A-LF-Sea, and FASTAR – has been enhanced using this technology, and has been applied to more than 5,000 vessels.

By replicating the natural surface film found on the skin of marine life, Nippon Paint Marine researchers have been able to develop coatings that minimize friction, reduce fuel consumption, and lower vessel emissions.

In collaboration with institutions including Kobe and Osaka Universities, the project team focused on replicating these natural characteristics to aid in the development of specifically designed hydrogels for paints; the scientific theory being that a hull coating could be created that essentially ‘“traps” a layer of seawater against the surface membrane, which increases the boundary layer around a vessel’s hull, and reduces friction. Subsequent products such as LF-Sea and A-LF-Sea, which incorporated this enhanced performance hydrogel, generated fuel and emissions savings of up to 12.3%, says the company.

In addition to using biomimetics, the development in Nippon Paint Marine’s antifouling range was further enhanced by the introduction of nanotechnology. The FASTAR product range uses a unique hydrophilic and hydrophobic nanodomain resin structure to achieve an antifouling performance that, the company says, can deliver fuel savings of over 14% thanks to an average speed loss of only 1.2% over a 60-month period, compared to the market average speed loss of 5.9% over a similar time period.

“The development of our patented hydrogel and nanodomain technologies typifies our commitment to customer-centric innovation,” said Kazuaki Masuda, corporate officer and technical division director at Nippon Paint Marine. “Maritime owners and operators face a web of constantly evolving challenges, and it is the mission of our R&D team to deliver pioneering technology that supports the industry as it navigates these challenges. At Nippon Paint Marine, we believe that by studying the secrets of the natural environment, we can continue to develop even more innovations that will play a vital role in contributing to the maritime industry’s efforts to decarbonize.”