Waterborne, high-solid, 3D haptic coatings
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have enjoyed big market success in recent years. A main application field is athletic footwear. Exciting multi-color effects on multiple 3D coating levels, in combination with sensational touch effects and high-performance features, allow totally new freedom of functional design.
Now new photosensitive haptic coatings are introduced to the market. These coatings are based on fully waterborne PUD resins with high elasticity, flexibility and superior bonding properties, and are usually applied on textile substrates. Based on nanoscale oxidized graphene particles – graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles – highly photosensitive coating layers can be developed. The GO-doped haptic layers show high transparency and are nearly colorless. When the GO-doped coatings are exposed to natural sunlight or artificial UV light, the GO nanolayers start a chemical reduction process, and dark black reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanolayers are produced.
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Relatively large sp2 islands are formed, totally changing the absorption properties of these coatings and turning them (over time) into a dark black color. By using masking devices, the coating on athletic footwear can be partially exposed to UV light, and design patterns can be created by selective UV exposure. Furthermore, the GO-doped haptic coatings can be further pigmented with standard pigments or with iridescent special-effect pigments. During the time of UV exposure, creative color effect changes can be achieved, changing the appearance of a surface over time.