Antifouling coatings cling to copper

Ten years ago, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) placed a global ban on the use of tributyltin (TBT) in antifouling systems and put an end to what once was among the most important chemicals in the shipping industry. TBT – a group of compounds that consist of between one and four organic components attached to a tin atom via carbon–tin covalent bonds – used to do its job well. It was highly effective at warding off barnacles, shells and other marine creatures, which have the habit of settling onto boat hulls. When sea life smother their hulls, the boats slow down and use more fuel, so people have long hunted for ways to keep tenacious little hitchhikers off their boats.