Truly novel polymer platforms are few and far between, arising perhaps once in a generation. Epoxies, urethanes, polyesters, acrylics and others have long been industry mainstays, and each of these chemical platforms offers certain advantages, depending upon specific application needs. At the same time, new options offering significant energy savings or emitting lower levels of VOCs would be extremely useful.
Most coating systems contain either solvents or water, necessitating the use of ovens to cure or dry the coating, an energy-intensive process. The use of solvent also generates VOCs, raising regulatory and safety concerns. In many cases, conventional coatings can leach materials, such as non-reactive diluents, bisphenol A, formaldehyde and styrene, which may have unfavorable environmental or health effects. In addition, certain conventional coatings use corrosive or sensitizing materials, such as amines or isocyanates for their cure. A versatile, 100%-reactive, rapid room-temperature curing polymer system would provide a host of benefits not currently seen in any single technology to date.