Adaptive Surface Technologies Releases New 53-Month Performance Data for Non-Toxic Marine Anti-Fouling Product

HOPKINTON, Mass. – September 19, 2024 – Adaptive Surface Technologies (AST), a leader in repellent surfaces, today announced new long-term performance data for its SLIPS Dolphin™ II marine anti-fouling coating and N4 additive product. Dolphin II and N4 have been subjected to 53 months of exposure testing, led by an international third-party, and both outperformed the leading commercial foul-release coatings on the market.

Anti-Fouling Product

When submerged in water, Dolphin II creates an ultra-smooth, slippery surface that prevents organisms from attaching. The product lasts multiple seasons, and unlike most existing products on the market today, Dolphin II and N4 do not contain any biocides and are environmentally friendly.  Dolphin and N4 are designed to meet the requirements of the recently passed legislation in the U.S. House that supports a transition to copper-free anti-fouling marine coatings by 2028.

Naval vessels typically have drydock maintenance schedules that are on multi-year cycles, making AST’s copper-free anti-fouling technology the only foul release coating that has third-party testing data showing superior performance to Hempel’s X3 and Akzo Nobel’s BRA-640 or 1100SR.

“With this new 53-month data, we are able to showcase that our anti-fouling technology outperforms the competition on a timeframe can meet the consumer expectation of a multi-year lifecycle,” said Grant Tremelling, CEO of Adaptive Surface Technologies. “We are excited to be able to release this new positive data closely following the recent legislation that calls for naval vessels transition from copper-based antifouling coatings by 2028.”

This testing has been underway since 2019 and is conducted by an independent third party at the National University of Singapore (NUS).  During testing, AST’s coatings are compared with multiple market-leading foul-release coatings. Every month, half the panel is washed with a low pressure (50 psi) waterjet designed to simulate the motion of a boat. All of AST’s coatings performed better than the commercial controls at 18-, 44-, and now 53- month checkpoints, under these dynamic conditions.

For more information on AST’s full suite of products, please visit https://adaptivesurface.tech/

About Adaptive Surface Technologies

A world leader in repellent surfaces, Adaptive Surface Technologies, Inc. is an industrial technology company that produces additives and coatings used for a wide range of industrial, marine, and packaging applications.  AST has been backed by Akzo Nobel, Tokyo Electron Ventures, BASF Ventures, Anzu Partners, and other strategic and financial investors.  Research and development for AST has been funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), and AST has served as a subcontractor for General Dynamics Electric Boat.

For more information, visit https://adaptivesurface.tech

Press Contacts

Media
Kalyn Schieffer
kos@anzupartners.com

Corporate
Grant Tremelling
grant@adaptivesurface.tech

U.S. House of Representatives Passes Legislation for Naval Vessels to Transition from Copper-based Antifouling Coatings by 2028

HOPKINTON, Mass. – June 26, 2024 — On June 14, 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to commence the U.S. Navy transitioning away from copper-based antifouling coatings. The legislation directed the Secretary of Defense to develop, “a timeline to remove existing copper-based antifouling coatings from naval vessels by January 1, 2028.”

The legislation, which was passed as part of the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025, called for a specific assessment of antifouling effectiveness measured by:

  • Duration of time such coating prevents biological adhesion, corrosion, and degradation of vessel surfaces
  • Environmental damage caused by shedding and leaching of the coating
  • Effect of the coating on fuel efficiency and vessel speed

The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock, estimates that vessel speed is reduced by up to 10% from biofouling, which can require up to a 40% increase in fuel consumption to counter the added drag.

Adaptive Surface Technologies (AST), a spinout of Harvard University, applauded this measure by the U.S. House as a major step forward for reducing operational costs for the U.S. Navy and increasing environmental stewardship of U.S. coastal regions.

AST’s copper-free anti-fouling coatings have been subjected to 60+ months of testing and demonstrated superior anti-fouling performance at international testing sites. Naval vessels typically have drydock schedules that are on 60-month cycles, making AST’s copper-free anti-fouling technology the only foul release coating that has third-party testing data showing superior performance to Hempel’s X3 and Akzo Nobel’s BRA-640 or 1100SR. 

According to the American Coatings Association, marine coatings are a roughly $9 billion market, growing 5-7% per year, with approximately 64% being in the anti-fouling or fouling release coatings.

For more information on AST’s full suite of products, please visit https://adaptivesurface.tech/

About Adaptive Surface Technologies

A world leader in repellent surfaces, Adaptive Surface Technologies, Inc. is an industrial technology company that produces additives and coatings used for a wide range of industrial, marine, and packaging applications.  AST has been backed by Akzo Nobel, Tokyo Electron Ventures, BASF Ventures, Anzu Partners, and other strategic and financial investors.  Research and development for AST has been funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), and AST has served as a subcontractor for General Dynamics Electric Boat.

For more information, visit https://adaptivesurface.tech

Press Contacts

Media
Kalyn Schieffer
kos@anzupartners.com

Corporate
James Holmes
James.Holmes@fmicorp.com 

44 Months In, AST Marine Coatings Lead the Pack

Commercial marine coatings are expected to continue repelling biofouling for 4 to 5 years or more, and it takes that same amount of time to prove that new coatings are effective. 

As of now, AST’s marine coatings have been subjected to 44 months of exposure testing, and they continue to outperform the leading commercial foul-release coatings, as shown in the figure below.

AST Marine Coatings Lead the Pack

This testing has been underway since 2019, conducted by an independent third party at the National University of Singapore (NUS).  During testing, AST’s coatings are compared with two market-leading foul-release coatings, Intersleek 1100SR and Hempaguard X3. 

Every month, half the panel is washed with a low pressure (50 psi) waterjet designed to simulate the motion of a boat.  All of AST’s coatings under test performed better than the commercial controls at 18 and 44 months, especially under these dynamic conditions.

These coatings represent a mix of commercial and experimental variables. 

Specifically, SLIPS® Dolphin is AST’s first-generation marine coating, made from commercially available raw materials.  The test variable labeled Dolphin II is a second-generation coating from commercial materials that hasn’t yet been launched. 

Finally, SLIPS® Foul Protect N3 and N4 are AST’s next-generation coatings made from our own proprietary surface additives.  In particular, the N4 zwitterionic additive exhibits a level of performance never before seen in a non-biocidal foul-release coating.

AST is now working with corporate partners to bring coatings based on our proprietary N3 and N4 additives into the commercial marine market, leveraging the reach of a larger-scale operation. 

In the meantime, AST is still manufacturing and selling our SLIPS® Dolphin product for the recreational market, and we expect to launch a new version of that product later this year. 

Stay tuned!