Congratulations to Anand Lopez, ex-post-doc co-supervised with Shegufa Shetranjiwalla, who published this review of how sugar polymers can influence the performance coatings used to stop or reduce marine biofouling.
A number of experiments with natural polysaccharide-based coatings have have explored how they can enhance fouling-release or antifouling properties. In this review, polysaccharide chemical properties are linked to coatings performance properties, alongside the challenges that arise from silt and salt interactions with the polymers. Studies that explore mitigation of these challenges by modifications that produce amphiphilic polysaccharides are are also covered in the review. The promising findings in academic studies thus far suggest future coatings development with these molecules can now shift to testing in commercial resin technologies and more thorough field testing.
Lopez, A., Wyeth, R.C., and Shetranjiwalla, S. 2026. Antifouling and fouling-release coatings with polysaccharides: a nature-based solution to a marine challenge. Biofouling 42(9): 920–939. doi:10.1080/08927014.2026.2725688.
