Paint coatings continued solvents

Safety No year goes by without some widely used chemical being declared suspect on toxicity grounds. The paint industry has responded rapidly to eliminate toxic chemicals from coatings or to show how they can be used safely in an industrial environment. Examples are the elimination of specific ether-alcohol solvents and the introduction of air-fed hoods for spraying isocyanates. Of particular interest in corrosion prevention is the current pressure to eliminate chromate pigments. Currently there are no equally effective alternatives and the emphasis has had to be on safe usage. The search for replacements continues. 

When the solubility of the thermoplastic is poor at room temperature it may be possible to produce a dispersion in a mixture of diluents and latent solvents. This dispersion may be applied by conventional paint spray equipment. The coated item is placed in an oven where the diluents evaporate off. The latent solvents then dissolve the thermoplastic and evaporate from this solution at a controlled rate, thus producing a continuous him. P.V.F., and p.v.d.f. and p.t.f.c.e. coatings are produced from dispersions of this type. 

The first paints were based upon linseed oil (obtained from flax). This is an unsaturated long-chain triglyceride, which, with metal activators, crosslinks via radical pathways to form a continuous film on the substrate. Modern paints use synthetic polymers together with either a solvent or suspending medium (e.g., water), which evaporates leaving the deposited film. Exceptions are powder coatings, which require heat for completion. 

Emulsion polymerization is the basis of many industrial processes, and the production volume of latex technologies is continually expanding—a consequence of the many environmental, economic, health, and safety benefits the process has over solvent-based processes. A wide range of products are synthesized by emulsion polymerization, including commodity polymers, such as polystyrene, poly(acrylates), poly (methyl methacrylate), neoprene or poly(chloroprene), poly(tetrafluoroethylene), and styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR). The applications include manufacture of coatings, paints, adhesives, synthetic leather, paper coatings, wet suits, natural rubber substitutes, supports for latex-based antibody diagnostic kits, etc. ... 

Solvents in paint or a coating serve multiple purposes. These include solubilization of resins and other ingredients, wetting, viscosity reduction, adhesion promotion, and gloss enhancement. Initially, the resin or polymer is dissolved in the solvent to form a continuous phase. 

Organic coatings are used to block the penetration of carbon dioxide or chloride ions. They form a continuous polymeric film on the surface of the concrete, of a thickness ranging from 100 to 300 pm. The binder can already be present in the liquid paint as a polymer, or the polymer can be formed due to chemical reactions between monomeric components that are mixed just before application. Modem coating systems are usually built up of several layers applied consecutively. They are compatible with the alkalinity of the concrete and are based on various types of polymers (e. g. acrylate, polyurethane, epoxy), pigments and additives, and are made suitable for application by the addition of solvents or diluents. 

As water-based paints become much more widespread in use, then the challenges to achieving a direct match to solvent based paints become more acute. For example, automotive coloured base coats in Europe are mainly water based whilst repair paints are still mainly solvent based. A key target for water-based auto paints is to achieve the same colour properties as solvent-based and in a number of areas this still represents a challenge to the industry. This paper discusses three areas where the continuing development of polymeric dispersants can help to meet the high performance challenge. 

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