A variety of products and industries use diacids, which are a non-toxic, versatile class of chemical intermediates. Uses include monomers for engineering polymers such as polyesters, polyamides, polyurethanes and hot-melt adhesives; crosslinking agents; surfactants; lubricants and additives such as grease and corrosion inhibitors; food additives; solvents and cleaning additives; personal care; plasticizers; and fine chemicals such as fragrances, insecticides and fungicides. The choice of diacid is driven by the properties of the product, which can be imparted by the length of the diacid.
Powder coatings are free-flowing micronized particles that are applied in fluidized bed reactors or electrostatically sprayed onto metal or conductive surfaces. The resulting powders are then melted and oven cured to form very hard, high-gloss surfaces. Powder coating has major advantages over other coating techniques in that thin films (30-40 um) can be made at relatively low temperatures (150 °C) with no solvent. This results in a coating process that has inherently zero VOCs. Although a number of different resin chemistries are used for powder coatings, glycidyl methacrylate acrylic (GMA) powder coatings are known for their high gloss, durability and abrasion resistance. They are, therefore, frequently the resin systems of choice for high-performance applications.