Nippon Paint Marine, a leader in marine coatings, has published its whitepaper, “Breathing life into science; creating the next generation of hull coatings using biomimetics”, detailing the role that biomimetics has played in the development of their patented HydroSmoothXT™ technology.

A specialist team from Nippon Paint Marine’s R&D programme, which included experts in polymer science, biochemistry, fluid dynamics and marine science, studied the natural characteristics of marine life to inform the development of the HydroSmoothXT™ technology that would be used in their industry leading coatings. This approach to technology development, of imitating nature, is known as biomimetics. 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 surficial film found on the skin of marine life, Nippon Paint Marine researchers have been able to develop coatings that minimise 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%.

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 unparalleled antifouling performance, which can deliver fuel savings of over 14% thanks to an average speed loss of just 1.2% over a 60-month period, compared to the market average speed loss of 5.9% over a similar time period.

As the industry looks to innovative technologies to help achieve the industry’s decarbonisation targets, Nippon Paint Marine’s R&D team are committed to drawing inspiration from the unique characteristics of our natural environment to inform the development of coating technologies that will support customers in their efforts to reduce their carbon emissions.

Kazuaki Masuda, Corporate Officer, Technical Division Director, Nippon Paint Marine, said: “The development of our patented hydrogel and nanodomain technologies typifies our commitment to customer-centric innovation. 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 decarbonise.”