The invention provides (co)polymers having the formula (I): ##STR1## wherein M is hydrogen, a metal ion or an ammonium cation; x is 1, 2 or 3; y is an integer from 2 to 100; and n is 1, 2 or 3. The (co)polymers of formula I are corrosion and/or scale inhibitors for the protection of metal surfaces in contact with water.
A substrate resin having pendant acid groups is produced by copolymerizing an acrylic or methacrylic ester of which alcoholic residue includes a bulky hydrocarbon radical or a soft segment. The substrate resin is then metallized together with an organic mobobasic acid so that both of the pendant acid group and the organic monobasic acid group are bount to the same metal atom. The resulting hydrolyzable metal-containing resin is incorporated into self-polishing antifouling paint formulations together with an antifouling pigment such as cuprous oxide.
