Dr. Jingguo Shen, senior chemist at Axalta Coating Systems, recently presented research from an international collaboration on coating film formation at the 248th American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting and Exposition in San Francisco, Calif. – a meeting that congregates experts in a variety of chemistry disciplines and polymer science. Dr. Shen’s team includes world-renowned researchers from the U.S., the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (IMC) and Synpo based in Pardubice, Czech Republic.
The group worked to gain a deeper understanding of the fundamental chemical and physical processes that take place during film formation. In particular, the team was interested in uncovering how various solvents impact these processes. This work is intended to allow coating formulators to select a solvent that provides optimal final film properties.
"Solvent plays a crucial role in polyurethane coating formulations, not only by providing necessary solubility to facilitate coating application but also by influencing the curing kinetics and film vitrification for automotive coatings," said Shen. "Solvent selection and solvent entrapment/release during the coating application and curing processes can affect coating film formation and coating appearance for automobiles."
One of the key parts of the study involved identifying the factors that influence how quickly a solvent is released, which can affect the final appearance of the coating. This work is expected to benefit customers, as Axalta expects to be able to further optimize and design products to maximize final coating appearance.
"At Axalta, quality and customer needs are the focus of our product research and development initiatives," said Panos Kordomenos, Axalta’s senior vice president and chief technology officer. "Our products are supported by a deep understanding of science and technology. This collaborative research integrates expertise and knowledge of coatings and polymers from Axalta, IMC and Synpo. It demonstrates Axalta’s commitment to developing better coatings for the automotive industry and, ultimately, for its consumers."
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