Recently, the Ministry of Education (MOE) officially announced the recipients of the 2025 Outstanding Scientific Research Achievement Awards (Natural Science and Engineering Technology). A project led by Professor Chen Shougang from the School of Materials Science and Engineering, titled “Key Technologies and Applications of Intelligent Protective Materials for Marine Engineering Equipment under Extreme Environments,” was awarded the Second Prize in Engineering Technology.
Focusing on the long-term service requirements of marine engineering facilities—including ships, offshore platforms, and offshore wind and photovoltaic systems—the project addresses critical challenges in static antifouling and in-situ damage repair of protective coatings. It achieved major breakthroughs in interfacial compatibility between resins and functional fillers, as well as in the gradient-controlled release of antifouling agents. The team developed innovative controlled-release microcapsule materials targeting biofilm formation and biomimetic microstructured coatings with long-lasting antifouling performance. In addition, a self-healing anticorrosion coating system was established through synergistic resin reconstruction and corrosion inhibition/passivation mechanisms. The project also established a comprehensive framework for the design, fabrication, and evaluation of intelligent protective materials for marine engineering equipment in harsh ocean environments.
This research was conducted in collaboration with the Luoyang Ship Material Research Institute (China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation) and the Marine Chemical Research Institute Co., Ltd. Multiple advanced anticorrosion and antifouling materials have been successfully developed and industrialized, providing strong material support for the high-quality development of China’s marine engineering equipment sector.
The MOE Outstanding Scientific Research Achievement Award (Natural Science and Engineering Technology) is a prestigious national award established by the Ministry of Education to recognize significant contributions in basic research and engineering innovation, as well as excellence in talent cultivation. The award is conferred through a nomination-based system and is evaluated every three years, with no more than 500 awards granted per cycle. As the leading institution, Ocean University of China received a total of five awards in this cycle.
Author: Li Wei
