Conference Program

Polysilazanes are pre-ceramic polymers with a silicon-nitrogen backbone. In recent years they have emerged as an unparalleled binder in protective coatings for automotive, architectural, and industrial applications. The unique Si-N backbone and side-chain chemistry enables a dynamic structure-performance relationship that yields robust and durable clear or pigmented coatings. This article will use examples of formulations and applications to show the recent development of this technology and highlight their performance in corrosion and weathering protection, surface hardness, heat resistance, and anti-graffiti applications.
 

Today, performance and productivity are of significant value to many asset-owners who are looking for ways to minimize downtime and optimize savings. Accelerators or fast amine curing agents are used for this purpose in the formulation to shorten the epoxy coating drying time to enable fast return to service properties. However, the addition of this agent may impact the coating performance, such as shorter pot life. We have introduced a unique fast amine curing agent that can increase the curing speed with a small addition without compromising pot life. It can be used as an accelerator and/or co-hardener, in combination with other amines.This paper describes how to achieve a good balance in both solvent-based and 100% solids epoxy coating systems. Performance comparison with other current commercially available products will also be discussed, including adhesion, dry time, hardness, impact resistance and pot life under various curing conditions.

The Chinese government has implemented environmental regulations that limit the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOC) in coatings applications.  This has resulted in increased use of water-borne epoxy coatings. Industrial coating formulators are looking for new water-borne solutions with a balance of cost and stringent performance requirements to meet these regulations.
We will introduce new water-borne epoxy solutions for anti-corrosive coatings. The new epoxy dispersion has the features of low VOC, low viscosity, high solids, and excellent storage stability. When formulated with waterborne hardeners, the system demonstrates outstanding performance in water resistance, flexibility, mechanical performance, and anti-corrosion protection. The new water-borne epoxy solutions are suited for processing water-sensitive pigments like zinc and aluminum powders resulting in excellent long-term performance for zinc-rich primer. Starting formulations, formulation properties, and performance data based on these new innovative waterborne epoxy resins and hardeners will be presented.

A polyvinylidene chloride acrylate copolymer has been developed to provide an advanced water-borne coating that demonstrates excellent corrosion resistance and adhesion on metals. It can be applied as a primer and barrier protection coating, with VOC capability below 100 g/l. The improvement of corrosion performance was confirmed using tandardized test methods including salt fog, dry/wet adhesion, and humidity etc. And the structure properties related to corrosion mechanisms were understood using electrochemical techniques including open circuit potential, linear polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results show this copolymer exhibits longer shelf stability with improved performance compared to traditional vinylidene polymers based on new structure property understanding. Results also indicate exceptional moisture permeability, excellent corrosion resistance and adhesion on metals even under thin thickness ~50um. These properties are verified by its surprisingly stable impedance for couple weeks. Also, the increasing impedance of a defect coating illustrates its good adhesion at coating scribe.

Water-borne technologies are gaining ground, although solvent-borne or 100% solids technologies remain dominant, for corrosion protection due to increased regulations around VOC emissions. Our latest development emphasizes our commitment and expertise in this field. 
This study demonstrates a high-performance, APEO- and zinc-free binder with improved corrosion protection compared to other 1-component water-borne binders of equivalent dry film thickness. This new resin helps to save formulation cost and complexity by decreasing or eliminating the use of active inhibitors. The versatility of this technology will be showcased by results in a high-gloss direct-to-metal (DTM) coating and primer. By balancing the hydrophobicity and chemical functionality,we have developed a resin with low water uptake, good early water and humidity resistance, and excellent corrosion resistance while still allowing for ease of formulation and pigment dispersion. This functionality also allows for superior adhesion to multiple substrates, including plastics.

Achieving lower volatile organic compound (VOC) content in protective coatings requiring high exterior durability and chemical resistance has been a challenge for paint manufacturers who often find themselves having to sacrifice performance in order to meet environmental standards. Low molecular weight and low VOC resins are unable to meet the demanding requirements of a protective topcoat, conventional acrylic polyols cannot be formulated to meet VOC regulations, and the use of exempt solvents remains problematic for the paint formulator. Balancing crosslink density development for achieving durability with airless spray ability remains a very high hurdle for the industry. This paper will demonstrate the performance of a new polyurethane technology for use in two component topcoats as well as direct-to-metal (DTM) coatings. This technology, when benchmarked against conventional acrylic polyols meets or exceeds the performance properties needed to withstand challenging conditions.

Low surface energy substrates such as thermoplastic olefin (TPO) or ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber, in particular un-weathered TPO and EPDM membranes, are notoriously difficult to adhere to due to the low chemical functionality of the substrate. Typically, solvent-borne technologies (i.e., high VOC) or surface treatment of the substrate before coating has been necessary to achieve acceptable adhesion. Currently available low-VOC water-borne acrylic resins typically struggle in adhering to these new, un-weathered membranes. A newly developed water-borne acrylic resin has overcome this challenge, exceeding existing solvent-borne and water-borne options, achieving a 180° wet peel adhesion in excess of 2 pounds per linear inch (pli) with cohesive failure when formulated into a primer or basecoat.  Additional formulation strategies can now be employed to optimize adhesion with the new acrylic resin, including pigment volume concentration, surfactant/dispersant level, and extender choice.

Pinholes are a problem for formulators developing fast drying, water-based coatings, especially in coatings cured at high temperature and applied at high wet film thickness. Pinholes are often caused by air or solvent vapor release from the film when the coating is too viscous to flow back and repair the holes. Pinholes also occur in bake coatings as the trapped vapor regains mobility when the coating softens under heating, before cross-linking hardens the film preventing flow back into the voids. Hydrocarbon defoamers help eliminate the foam and pinholes in these formulations, but their limited compatibility results in lower gloss, poor leveling and surface appearance. This paper describes a new additive that combines both deaeration of micro foam and modified surface drying for pinhole elimination. This new additive shows comparable pinhole elimination compared with hydrocarbon-based defoamers, but without compromising formulation compatibility or final coating appearance.

We have been developing our hyperdispersant anchoring technologies to encompass pigment surfaces ranging from organic to inorganic and polar to non-polar. More recently we have focused our efforts on our novel anchor and chain technologies for both 100% solids and water-borne systems. Our developments have led to dispersants that deliver rapid dispersion, excellent stabilisation and superior final coating properties. These new dispersants are produced to be 100% active content with excellent pourability at room temperature. Supplying dispersants in 100% active form enables a reduced carbon footprint of the product from production to market as well as increasing their versatility in different coatings systems. In water-borne systems these biocide-free dispersants improve pigment raw material efficiency though higher pigmentation levels and colour development. They also demonstrate greater tolerance to challenging coalescing solvents. In UV curable systems, the 100% active form is a necessity and provides ease-of-use for ink formulators.

Water-borne epoxy systems have many advantages over traditional solvent-borne epoxy coatings. Their low volatile organic content (VOC) is beneficial to both the environment and the people that work with these water-borne epoxy products.They also have excellent adhesion, long pot life, easy clean-up, and can be used in closed spaces. New industry and regulatory trends are leading to increased use of water-borne epoxy systems in coatings applications.  One of challenges of the water-borne epoxy systems is the temperature operating window, where many water-borne systems will not effectively cure at low temperatures. This paper describes new formulations of water-borne epoxy coatings that cure well below room temperature without sacrificing cure time or performance of the coating.  Wate-rborne formulations in the paper also allow for faster return to service when being cured at normal room temperature. Starting formulations, comparison of current formulations, formulation properties, and performance data will be discussed. 

We produce graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and their subsequent dispersions, enabling enhancement of properties such as barrier, mechanical or electrical and thermal conductivity. It has been demonstrated that GNPs, when incorporated into an organic coating, provide a highly tortuous pathway which acts to impede the movement of corrosive species towards the metal surface, rendering them highly beneficial in barrier coatings. We have previously demonstrated significant uplifts in anticorrosive performance in solvent-based coatings. However, water-based coating development remains a focus for industry formulators. The increasing demand for viable waterborne alternatives is primarily driven by increasing legislative pressure to reduce the release of volatile organic content. To date dispersion of graphene in waterbased systems has been problematic, causing instability of the host system or requiring large amounts of surfactant. We have developed breakthrough technology enabling dispersion in water-based coatings while delivering improved corrosion performance.

Intumescent coatings provide passive fire protection, most notably to steel structures. The application of water-based intumescent coatings on construction steel can take several days due to the number of coats and total dry film build needed to provide adequate fire protection. Industry standard water-based intumescent coatings can also suffer from poor water resistance. This limits their application to indoor spaces or in many instances require a water-resistant topcoat; further increasing the time required to apply. We have developed unique technology for intumescent coatings that can dramatically decrease application times and in many cases  preclude the need for a topcoat. This unique technology consists of a dispersion and our proprietary Instant Set Technology which when used together allow for full film build in one application.

Bisphenol-A based materials are getting phased-out in various applications including in metal packaging coatings. Responding to increasing regulatory and customer demands, food brands, coatings formulators, and can makers are looking for alternative BPA-non intent (BPA-NI) technology that can replace BPA-based coatings while simultaneously meeting or exceeding their rigorous performance requirements. We are participating in the development of polyester BPA-NI resins technology that can deliver improved resistance to food sterilization, long-term shelf stability, while balancing flexibility and toughness critical to withstanding aggressive canning process. We explore several fundamental techniques to demonstrate improved resistance to corrosion and chemical attack, while balancing flexibility and adhesion through innovative resin and formulation design.  Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cathodic disbonding, coupled with fitness-for-use testing were used to understand barrier properties of BPA-NI solutions in formulated coatings. These studies and techniques help build solid structure-property relationships enabling better resin design for food contact metal packaging coatings.

Both natural and artificial accelerated weathering testing can produce inconsistent results when different tests are compared, even if all parameters of the test method is strictly met. Deviations can be expected in cases where different types of devices are used, or the methods allow for variability in the test parameters. However, deviations can also occur with similar types of devices. The root cause can often be attributed to surface temperature of the exposed specimen, normally an uncontrolled parameter.
This presentation provides an overview and data of surface temperatures when employing various test methods, as well as equipment operated under different test conditions. In addition to the control sensors specified in the standards, additional sensors were used to determine further comparison parameters. If the comparability between different devices is the focus, it may be necessary to adapt the control parameters, including modification of the standard cycles, to produce reproducible results.

We have been developing our hyperdispersant anchoring technologies to encompass pigment surfaces ranging from organic to inorganic and polar to non-polar. More recently we have focused our efforts on our novel anchor and chain technologies for both 100% solids and water-borne systems. Our developments have led to dispersants that deliver rapid dispersion, excellent stabilisation and superior final coating properties. These new dispersants are produced to be 100% active content with excellent pourability at room temperature. Supplying dispersants in 100% active form enables a reduced carbon footprint of the product from production to market as well as increasing their versatility in different coatings systems. In water-borne systems these biocide-free dispersants improve pigment raw material efficiency though higher pigmentation levels and colour development. They also demonstrate greater tolerance to challenging coalescing solvents. In UV curable systems, the 100% active form is a necessity and provides ease-of-use for ink formulators.

Colloidal Unimolecular Polymer (CUP) particles have found many uses in coatings.The surface of these particles per gram is extremely large and poses an opportunity to study surface water which has different properties than bulk water. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) can determine the free versus surface water based upon the heat of fusion since only free water freezes at zero.The DSC analysis was performed on 77K and 123K molecular weight cup particles which are 5.84nm and 6.82nm diameter at concentration of 5% to 20 % . This work gives an estimation of the thickness of surface water by measuring the heat of fusion; calculation of the specific heat of surface water; determination of the average surface area of functional groups on the CUP surface by knowing the freezing point depression of CUP suspensions; establish a relationship between CUP surface water, the molecular weight and ions per nm of surface area.

Accelerated weathering testing has been used for over a century to evaluate the outdoor performance of durable materials such as coatings. Light and heat delivered to specimens in accelerated weathering test are carefully defined in standards; however, the amount, pressure, and droplet size of water spray typically is not. As a result, physical and chemical degradation phenomena caused by outdoor condensation and various types of rain may not be reproduced in laboratory testing. This presentation examines some modern xenon arc and fluorescent UV standards for coatings that do attempt to better quantify and accelerate water delivery for improved correlation to weathering failures in service environment. Results are also presented from specimens that illustrate the effects that varying water delivery can have on specimen color change and gloss loss.

Marine biofouling is estimated to cost >$15 billion world wide for vessel operation. Additionally, the environmental cost from increased CO2 emissions due to reduced speed, and the use of biocide further exacerbates the impact of biofouling. Adaptive Surface Technologies has recently developed and commercialized a unique copper free marine paint for biofouling control. The patent pending technology combines the features of SLIPS (Slippery Liquid Infused Porous Surfaces) and self-stratifying surface active polymers (SAP) for biofouling control without the use of biocide; which performs better than commercial anti-fouling standards. The presentation will focus on the scientific prospective on the development of SLIPS® Foul-Protect™ N1x, surface characterization, and demonstrate the field/ on-boat performance. The results suggest that the performance benefit can lead to about 8% reduction in drag which will help address the concerns with fuel cost and emissions. 

Pearlescent pigments are important for high end decoration. They are based on substrates and interference layers. Transparent substrates like mica lack hiding power. Aluminum as substrate delivers some hiding power but must be used as a solvent based paste, a dangerous good.
New pigments have been developed which provide an even better hiding power and are classified as non-dangerous good. The thickness of the aluminum substrate was reduced from 400nm to 20nm by using PVD, resulting in an ultra-thin pigment with smooth surface and uniform thickness. The new pigment even comes as powder.
For the first time, dust explosion free aluminum based pearlescent pigments can be applied by powder coating and deliver the benefit of extreme hiding power. Further they can be used in 100%-waterborne coatings and simplify the formulation of ultra-high solids.
Advantages especially for automotive coatings include unmatched flop, higher gloss and the possibility to reduce coatings thickness.

Microbicidal paints making public health claims are regulated by the United States EPA that mandates demonstration of efficacy under conditions that simulate realistic contamination.  The OECD nations are similarly moving away from proof-of-principle tests such as industry-standard JISZ 2801.  Besides efficacy, other considerations such as longevity, and environmental/human-health impact of the additive are key. Copper-glass ceramic is a biocide that stabilizes and releases Cu+1 ions, imparting microbicidal properties to materials and surfaces.  While the technology has been described previously, this paper presents unpublished research on efficacy of microbicidal paints containing silver and QAC's contrasted against those with copper-glass ceramic.  Our research aided by confocal fluorescence microscopy demonstrates that silver-paints are ineffective, leaving behind residual bacteria that can spread infections.  The copper–glass ceramic is advantaged over organic and nanosilver additives owing to its safer toxicology and broad-spectrum efficacy.  Our work showcases a broadly deployable solution for safe and potent microbicidal coatings.

Vertically aligned carbon nanotube arrays are world renowned for their excellent optical absorption properties. However, at low angles, they suffer from higher reflection coefficients, due to the aligned structure. We have researched the potential for carbon nanotube loaded paints, to create a more randomized structure with high optical and infrared absorption that will have better grazing angle performance. Other drivers for the development of a paint version include the desire to apply these coatings in large areas, on lower temperature substrates, and at lower cost. This paper describes the structures necessary for highly absorbing black coatings, and reviews the approach and data collected for two products.

Vertically aligned carbon nanotube arrays are world renowned for their excellent optical absorption properties. However, at low angles, they suffer from higher reflection coefficients, due to the aligned structure. We have researched the potential for carbon nanotube loaded paints, to create a more randomized structure with high optical and infrared absorption that will have better grazing angle performance. Other drivers for the development of a paint version include the desire to apply these coatings in large areas, on lower temperature substrates, and at lower cost. This paper describes the structures necessary for highly absorbing black coatings, and reviews the approach and data collected for two products.

Gloss reduction is an important property for many coatings applications. Low gloss coatings are generally desirable for aesthetics and hiding surface defects, however their durability is typically reduced relative to their high gloss counterparts. This reduced durability can result in changing appearance over time, in some cases requiring recoating to maintain performance. Micronised precipitated silicas are ubiquitous as matting agents in the coatings industry due to their economical, chemically inert, and tailorable nature. Generally, the silanol surface of these silicas is left untreated or waxes are physisorbed. Silanes offer an opportunity to introduce functionality into these silica additives, with the potential to chemically combine into the resin matrix. This paper will highlight a new class of functionalized silica additives and outline improvements over standard grade untreated or wax-treated silicas. It will also give guidance on appropriate systems and how best to introduce functionalized silicas to avoid incompatibilities. 

A statistical design-of-experiments (DOE) approach is frequently used when optimizing formulations and troubleshooting material performance shortcomings. When performed properly, a DOE methodology allows for the study of highly dimensional design spaces typical of coatings formulations. These approaches, however, still rely on the concept of empirical enumeration to produce and test formulations in order to populate the chosen design space. This physical enumeration—making and testing coatings one by one—is costly in terms of time and resources, even if combinatorial and high-throughput experimentation is used. This work presents a new approach, one that still relies on statistics, but also combines aspects of data workflows, materials informatics, machine learning, and multiple-objective genetic algorithms to enhance the coating formulation process. Computational-theoretical and empirical frameworks for discovering formulation-property relationships will be presented, along with examples of how evolutionary optimization can be used to evolve the practice of DOE in the coatings R&D process. 

Most formulators are aware of some variables within a paint formulation that can easily affect the overall washability of a paint film.  However, with a large list of potential ingredients available to select from for a formula, most evaluations these days for new raw materials involve using the “drop in” method for a quick assessment, which has the potential of not performing as expected.
We have developed an improved binder for good overall washability and great scrub resistance. We are interested in developing an optimized formulation to feature with this binder, while attempting to understand the effect other raw materials have on the overall performance of the paint.  At the same time, we wanted to investigate the correlation (if any) between the various washability methods in use. This presentation will cover the development of a DoE to gain a better perspective of these influences, method correlations, and results.

Over 75% of coating formulations require multiple reformulations, accelerated laboratory and outdoor durability testing. Rational Coating Formulation differs from conventional approaches in that it relies on the established material properties of coating ingredients-entropy and enthalpy- and assesses the interactions among ingredients prior to formulation. The approach is similar to material and product reliability, practiced in aeronautic and electronics industries to develop and produce reliable and high-performance products. This paper will discuss and demonstrate methodologies used in Rational Formulation approaches. Intrinsic and extrinsic properties of raw materials in most common coating technologies will be demonstrated and the clear justification of materials choice will be presented. In addition, the effects of materials' attributes on coating performance, durability and overall cost are presented.

A shift to waterborne and more environmentally friendly coating formulations has been an ongoing trend and will continue to accelerate due to an increasing demand for low VOC and emissions free systems.  Recent advances in the development of new amine curing agents for two component waterborne epoxy formulation has led to systems that have high performance as protective coatings.  A new cementitious system based on two-component water-borne epoxy technology can provide durability, strength, and barrier properties for long lasting protection.  When formulated as a high build cementitious self-leveler, this coating offers physical strength up to 3 times more compared to a standard concrete. In this paper, we will discuss novel approaches that allows for flexibility in tailoring the performance properties in terms of cure speed, thermal properties, chemical resistance, and mechanical strength.  The paper will also highlight the benefits of epoxy modified cementitious self-levelers versus other polymer modified cementitious systems.

One of the design principles and goals of Industry 4.0 is to provide technical assistance to humans by comprehensively aggregating and visualizing information, enabling informed decisions and problem solving on short notice. This paper looks at how modeling can address this topic. Two examples will be shared. The first involves paint formulation modeling. The model collects basic information about a paint formula and then predicts final end-use paint properties. The second involves modeling of an architectural paint manufacturing plant. Volumes, rates, plant staffing and other inputs are collected. The output is used to look at both capital and non-capital solutions to improve plant operations.

DuPont BioMaterials has developed a novel family of engineered polysaccharides using enzymatic polymerization which allows for the direct control of polymer morphology to enable unique performance in various coating systems. The presentation will describe this new class of biomaterials and will provide an update on the application development in various coating systems and end uses with the ability to modify the rheological, mechanical and optical properties of these systems. Typical application examples will be described in this presentation especially with relevance to commerical programs. 

A series of zero or very low VOC waterborne (WB) epoxy curing agents based on cardanol, a non-food chain and renewable biomaterial, have been developed to meet stricter regulation as well as high-performance requirements. This paper will present the latest performance studies of applying those new CNSL-based WB curing agents in typical formulations for heavy duty, industrial, and transportation coatings applications. Test results revealed that the novel WB curing agents enable the formulations of low VOC (< 75 g/L) direct-to-metal primer systems with excellent performance such as balanced fast cure and long pot life, superb adhesion and long-term corrosion protection to numerous metal substrates. Furthermore, the influence of various solid epoxy dispersions, different cure processes and co-solvents upon film formation, adhesion and anti-corrosion performance will be reviewed in this paper, and the challenges of eliminating blisters and improving acid-resistance of WB primer systems will also be discussed.

Distilled tall oils (DTO), mainly composed of tall oil fatty acids and rosin acids, are bio-based refinery products from the by-product in pine wood pulping. In this work, a series of novel bio-based epoxy resins were developed from DTO. These resins were mixed with diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) in different ratios and cured with amine hardeners to evaluate their performance including cure properties (gel time, exothermic peak temperature), cured resin properties (tensile strength, tensile modulus, elongation, Tg from dynamic mechanical analysis, water absorption) and coating properties (dry time, gloss, pencil hardness, adhesion, flexibility, impact resistance, chemical resistance). The study shows that well balanced properties could be achieved with incorporating these DTO-derived bio-based epoxy resins.

Glycidol, is a specialty epoxide containing dual functionality. Due to this combination of functionality, glycidol is a versatile chemical building block with many diverse industrial applications, including in surfactants, coatings and specialties. However, its wider uptake in a range of high volume applications has been hindered by its high cost associated with inherent manufacturing routes.

We have developed a sustainable and economically attractive process for the production of green glycidol from glycerol. The patented process, demonstrated over the last number of years at lab and pilot scale, is now in the commercialization phase. With this technology, the production cost for glycidol is expected to be a fraction of the current market price. Subsequently, Glycidol has a growing market opportunity in the replacement of ethylene oxide and epichlorohydrin for downstream derivative manufacture. Some of these products include: Glycidyl methacrylate, Glycidyl esters, glyceryl ethers and diglycidyl teraphatalate.

wo component, amine cured epoxy coatings are used in applications that require the high performance properties that only this category can provide. In such applications, it is a challenge for formulators to pigment their coatings without introducing VOC’s or degrading said properties. This challenge leads to the use of 100% solids epoxy based colorants. Such colorants have shortcomings inherent to the presence of the epoxy resin itself; settling, crystallization, viscosity increase, and high viscosity at lower temperatures are just a few. Modern coatings manufactures have slowly become intolerant to these shortcomings as they grow and expand their markets. This discussion provides an overview of the new product development process that was employed to deliver a superior colorant technology with a biological based, sustainable and environmentally friendly product line. In addition, this new colorant technology is also compatible in two component polyurethane and some polyaspartic coatings systems.