Reducing surface energy to improve energy efficiency of ships

Attachment of marine organisms leads to a significant increase of the friction of the hull surface which will reduce the reliability and energy efficiency of ships. The adhesion of destructive organisms can be decreased effectively via reducing the surface energy of the hull. A new type of material was produced using a peptide to bond with 304 stainless steel samples for improving the energy efficiency of ships. It is known that some N-containing substances generated on the surface of the samples by SEM equipped with EDS, which suggested that a new substances obtained by bonding between the peptide and 304 stainless steel. Contact angles of the surface of samples were measured utilizing a contact angle meter, and the value revealed that contact angles of the samples surface have been significantly increased after treating with peptide, and the Young's equation shows that the surface energy of samples surface have been significantly reduced. The new material provided a way for drag reduction of ships.