ALLENTOWN, PA - GEO Specialty Chemicals Inc., a supplier of resin products and additives for coatings, announced a collaboration agreement with the University of Southern Mississippi's International Coatings and Formulation Institute (ICFI) involving a research program designed to develop new, environmentally friendly waterborne polyurethane dispersion coatings.

GEO said a major part of the research program will focus on the development of a novel functionalized diol for use in waterborne polyurethane dispersions, with another phase of the research expected to involve key application areas, including the formulation of powder-coatings polyesters.