Chemo-mechanical modification of an acrylic melamine coating to enhance its resistance
Scientists target to promote the stability of a typical automotive clearcoat against biological materials such as bird dropping and tree gums.
For this purpose, the acrylic/melamine matrix of clearcoat was chemically modified by a hyperbranched polyester-amide (HBP).
The viscoelastic and mechanical properties of various coatings were studied using dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and tensile experiments, respectively. The degradation was evaluated by FT-IR, gloss, color measurements and optical microscope.
Promoting the coating resistance
The results demonstrated that an optimum addition of HBP, via improving the cross-linking density and mechanical properties (especially toughness), could considerably promote coating resistance against tree gum and bird dropping. In addition, it was shown that such improvement has been beholden to positive impact of HBP on bulk properties of the coating rather than changing its surface properties.
The study has been published in Progress in Organic Coatings, Volume 136.
Image source: Pixabay.
