Self-Peeling Enabled by Interfacial Structure of Wax: A Better Solution for Marine Antifouling

Self-peeling coatings in marine antifouling are based on certain polyesters that hydrolyze spontaneously in water. Most self-peeling coatings are coupled with toxins to alleviate the slow hydrolysis of polyester. Wax-based gels, similar to plants with regrowing wax protective layers, are promising in marine antifouling. Herein, we report a waxgel material based on silicone rubber and paraffin wax. The regeneration time of the wax layer is precisely controlled to match the desired self-renewal lifespan. For the first time, we found vertical microstructures on the wax layer at the waxgel interface. We have, for the first time, demonstrated that the formation of these vertical structures induces low interfacial adhesion, providing a mechanistic explanation for the well-known self-peeling phenomenon. We also discovered the "wrap & lift" behavior of wax toward contaminants, which compensates for the "vacancy period" that occurs after peeling, enabling continuous antifouling. Comprehensive tests across bacterial/algal cultures and artificial barnacle adhesion confirmed robust antifouling performance. Field tests further validated the outstanding antifouling efficacy exceeding 100 days.