Electrodeposition coating for self-cleaning, anti-graffiti and corrosion protection
In a new study, a UV-curable anti-smudge cathodic electrophoretic coating was developed by free radical copolymerisation of various acrylic monomers using heptadecafluorodecyl acrylate (FOEA) as a functional monomer to provide a low surface energy structure to the acrylate precursor.
The precursor was then grafted with the synthetic double-bond terminated IPDI-HEA on the precursor, and finally dipentaerythritol penta/hexaacrylate (5-Acl) was introduced as a crosslinker for the subsequent cathodic electrophoresis and UV-curing process. The chemical structure and surface fluorine content of the fluorinated waterborne polyacrylate (FWPA) were confirmed by 1H NMR, FT-IR, and XPS, respectively. The surface morphology and roughness of the coating were assessed using SEM and AFM instruments. The contact and sliding angles of water, diiodomethane, and hexadecane were determined. The self-cleaning capability was demonstrated by measuring the oil-based and aqueous epoxy paints, as well as carbon powder sliding on the coated tinplate surface. The anti-graffiti property was also integrated with a red marker. The resistance to strong acid, salt spray, impact, friction, and bending were characterised.
Great application potential
All these results showed remarkable self-cleaning and anti-graffiti capabilities of the as-prepared UV-curable electrophoretic coating. Meanwhile, the coating displayed exceptional robustness in resisting chemical corrosion and mechanical damage. According to the researchers, this newly developed UV-curable anti-smudge cathodic electrophoretic coating has great application potential in various metal protection industries.
The study has been published in Progress in Organic Coatings, Volume 179, June 2023.
Event tip
Protective coatings are also in the focus of the EC Conference Protective & Fire-retardant Coatings on October 18 -19 in Berlin, Germany. The latest developments in protective and fire-retardant coatings will be presented to you in one conference.
