Hybrid alkyds: The glowing route to reach cutting-edge properties?
A review highlights both the various polymers grafted to alkyd resins reported in the literature and the different routes to synthesise these alkyd hybrids.
Alkyd resins were discovered in the mid-1920s. Then, they quickly found a prominent place among coatings and paint binders thanks to their numerous advantages such as good heat resistance, excellent gloss, and low cost. Nevertheless, in the 1950s, the emergence of new synthetic polymers with better properties (chemical resistance, mechanical and thermal properties) such as epoxy, acrylic or polyurethane, weakened the position of the alkyd resins among coating industry.
Research focuses on biobased polymer
Nowadays, due to global issues such as health and environmental concerns, research focuses on biobased polymers. Since alkyd resins are mainly biobased, they have gained increasing attention in the last decade. Nevertheless, the issue of using volatile organic compounds (VOC) and the urge of replacing them, have led to the development of new synthetic routes. Moreover, in order to enhance alkyd properties and bridge the gap with new materials, other polymers such as epoxy, acrylates, polyurethanes or siloxanes were used to form alkyd hybrids.
Hence, the different strategies to perform alkyd hybrids are detailed and discussed in the new review. Furthermore, composites made with alkyd hybrid matrix are presented. Finally, the perspectives about the future developments of alkyd hybrids and the most promising hybrids are discussed.
The review has been published in Progress in Organic Coatings, Volume 151, February 2021.
