Perfluorinated and Polyfluorinated Surfactants (PFAS) have been called “forever chemicals,” and there is interest in replacing them with nonfluorinated surfactants. There are numerous benefits for adding fluorinated systems to coatings such as water and oil repellency, chemical resistance, and durability. Our study focuses on the replacement of PFAS with both a reactive and nonreactive organo-siloxane to lower the surface energy. Reducing the surface energy of the elastomer leads to improved leveling, lower friction and improved abrasion resistance. Model epoxy-based coating systems will be reviewed to demonstrate the efficacy of organo-siloxanes to replace perfluorinated surfactants or PTFE powder. PEL-SIL surfactants with varying functionality are evaluated for potential to improve the durability per abrasion resistance of this model coating system. The level of each surfactant was varied to determine the impact on abrasion and other key performance characteristics.

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