Tech Dinners Resume 8/18/22

Novel Acrylic Polymers for Tennis and Pickleball Court Coatings

Gregory Monaghan, Specialty Polymers, Inc.

Greg Monaghan Bio:  After graduating with a degree in chemistry from UNC, Greg Monaghan worked for several regional and national paint manufacturers and polymer manufacturers before joining Specialty Polymers, Inc. in 2014.  Over his career, he has worked in the formulation of architectural coatings to meet VOC requirements.  At Specialty Polymers, he has been working in applications supporting product development for the metal, concrete and wood markets. 

Abstract: Many tennis and pickleball court coatings are no longer just based on low cost vanilla acrylics …the polymers are becoming more highly engineered to meet higher performance requirements in these coatings. In addition to having excellent UV resistance to withstand exposure to full sun, the coatings have to stand up to abrasion from foot traffic with the sudden starts and stops of a tennis game.  They also have to be able to be applied in thick films but still  dry quickly enough that they will not blister if the coatings get wet a few hours after application. Finally, the polymers must have good adhesion to the sand filler that is used for texture on the courts.   Several acrylic technologies which are designed to develop water resistance rapidly were evaluated for potential use in court coatings.  The chemistry of these different polymers and the performance benefits or drawbacks of each type of chemistry will be presented.

Customized Polymers Without Limits

Devin Busse,

Sr. Polymer Chemist

Bio:

Devin Busse received his B.S. in from Pacific Lutheran University and an M.S. degree in organic chemistry from the University of Rhode Island in 2007.  He has worked for thirteen years developing emulsion polymers for architectural, industrial and specialty coatings applications. He is currently a Senior Polymer Chemist at Specialty Polymers, Inc where he focuses on using particle morphology control to improve coating performance over a wide range of applications.

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Devin lives in Salem, Oregon with his wife and two children.

Abstract:

Emulsion polymers with hard-core/soft-shell morphology are used to achieve exceptional block resistance and hardness in the cured film while minimizing VOC’s needed for coalescence. This study explores the balance of these typically conflicting qualities by correlating an all-acrylic emulsion’s particle design, and neat latex properties to coating performance.  Hard-soft polymer stage ratios are increased in a ladder study that compares the resulting film formation temperatures to those properties desirable in an architectural coating, e.g. block resistance, scrub resistance, adhesion etc. The morphology-controlled samples are compared to analogous hard and soft blends and as well as a single-phase composition formulated into architectural paint. Some properties stand out in blends, but ultimately morphology-controlled systems yield a superior combination of durability and protection with low temperature coalescence.  As optimal morphologies present themselves, the polymer design is evaluated in clear coats and optimized through white formulations on to ultra-deep/neutral bases suitable for the protection and beautification of interior and exterior architectural surfaces. 

Evaluations of Wetting & Dispersing Additives For Use In Waterborne Anti-Corrosive Paints

Martin Kays, Applied Technology Specialist

Improving Waterborne Anti-Corrosive Coating’s properties With New Wetting & Dispersing Additives

 Martin Kays, BYK, Americas

Over the last few years the protective coatings industry has seen an increased demand for high performance waterborne coatings in the field of corrosion protection.  Market drivers such as “Sustainability”, “Greenability”, and ongoing regulatory and environmental concerns continue to force coatings producers to look for other viable options to replace conventional solvent borne technologies.  By their very nature waterborne systems require elaborate additive packages so that they can achieve acceptable levels of performance when compared to traditional technologies.  On one hand, wetting and dispersing additives are required to achieve proper pigment and filler dispersions, coating processability, and proper hiding and other film properties.  On the other hand it can be said that waterborne wetting and dispersing additives potentially bear the risk of increasing hydrophilicity of the paint film which may potentially have negative impact on paint film barrier properties such as, early water and moisture resistance, water uptake, and corrosion resistance. New wetting & dispersing additives based on novel chemical technologies have been formulated, which allow for improvements in durability, anti-corrosion, and adhesion properties of the coating along with improved processing characteristics.

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Bio:

Martin Kays is Applied Technology Specialist at BYK USA.  He graduated from the University of Louisville earning a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering followed by a MBA.  During his career, Martin developed an expertise for formulating and introducing new products into the coatings and plastics markets.  His experience eventually lead to sales and marketing roles with both national and global responsibility. 

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Scratch Resistance Advancements

In Water-Based Wood Coatings

Michelle Bauer, Sr. Project Chemist

Michelle Bauer, ICL Phosphate Specialty

Demand for high performance water-based coatings continues to be the trend throughout many coatings market segments.  Wood cabinetry, furniture and floor coatings are a major component of this movement. To supply this demand, development of innovative solutions is required to provide long-lasting coatings performance.  End-users are seeking increased durability partnered with the lower environmental impact that comes with water-based technology.   Enhanced scratch resistance will improve the long-lasting aesthetics and service-life that wood coatings provide.  A novel, easy to use approach to improve scratch resistance in water-based wood coatings has been newly developed by ICL.  Demonstration of this new scratch additive versus many commercially available alternates in a clear high-gloss waterborne UV-curable system will be presented.

BIO: 

Michelle Bauer is a Senior Project Chemist at ICL Phosphate Specialty.  She has 19 years of coatings industry experience.  Before starting her career, Michelle earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from Augustana College.  She then held a variety of positions in quality management and product development for Ace Hardware Paint Division and Valspar.  Michelle has been with ICL for nearly 4 years where her responsibilities include new product development and customer support for the HALOX® product line. 

 High Solids Waterborne Polyamide Based Polyurethane Coatings

Eric Broz, Lubrizol, Inc.

Lubrizol has developed new water-borne resin technology that utilizes polyamide-based polyols as the soft segment in polyurethane dispersions. Coatings based on this patented resin technology can provide solvent-borne like performance including high levels of hardness, abrasion resistance, and chemical resistance in an easy to use 1K water-borne system.  The highest attainable solids content for waterborne polyurethane dispersions is typically lower than what can be achieved for acrylic emulsions but this novel polyamide-based technology can also be used to make high solids waterborne dispersions with over 50% solids content, approaching the limits of acrylic emulsions while maintaining a high Tg polyurethane. This presentation will cover how increased solids content has several benefits for coatings applications including the elimination of a coating step, thicker coatings, reduction of dry time and lowered coalescing solvent demand. The combination of these advantages and the well-known high performance of the polyamide-based urethanes is expected to be a valuable benefit in a variety of different coating applications.