SeatecHIROSHIMA Ltd. 
Technology
Stick or don’t stick: the surface decides, and we can change it.
Barnacles and algae both begin by gripping a material’s surface. So that is where we work — on the surface itself. We treat it so marine life finds it harder, or easier, to settle. That is surface modification.
Three steps to a surface that stays clean
-
We treat the material’s surface with plasma.
-
We bond a fluorine-based antifouling agent to the treated surface.
-
The result is a surface barnacles and algae struggle to grip.
We use no copper, silver or other biocides.
It began with research on dental implants.
The technology grew out of research on surface treatments for dental implants that Kensuke Kuroda (Representative, Nagoya Surface Technology; Specially Appointed Professor, Institute of Innovation for Future Society, Nagoya University) has pursued since 2003. That work went on to protect metals from corrosion, and from there it reached the sea and the farm. Professor Kuroda supervises the technology in a personal capacity.
We keep the recipe and deliver the performance.
Our edge is know-how in the treatment conditions — the recipe. We protect the recipe as a trade secret and license customers the performance the treatment delivers.
What does stick, we remove under water.
Alongside antifouling, we are building a prototype underwater vehicle (ROV) that cleans fouling off. An operator steers it remotely while watching a live video feed, and it clears growth from ship hulls.
It works the other way, too.
The same thinking can make a surface that marine life settles on more easily. To restore eelgrass beds, we treat rope so eelgrass can root into it. We are also researching how to turn rice husks into a material that improves farm soil.
See the eelgrass trial
Start with a part that fouls fast — a propeller, for instance. Shall we test it?
Talk to us