The vulnerability of metals to corrosion is often controlled by the application of organic coatings to protect the substrate from oxidation and deterioration. However, the coatings themselves are also subject to environmental degradation and have a limited lifetime that can be greatly dependent on the adhesion strengths at the interface between the metal substrate and the coating. A network of Ultra-Violet curable coatings was designed to study a range of degrees of shrinkage and affinity towards the metal substrate. UV was selected as it offered the unique ability to create a non-uniform cure of the coating. The adhesion strengths of different UV lamp intensities and photoinitiator (HCPK) concentrations were investigated to identify what affects the adhesion forces and how the resistance to delamination in a cyclic salt fog chamber was affected. This was measured using the 90° peel adhesion test. Attenuated total reflection IR spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) was performed to look at the molecular composition of either side of the coating. Delamination rates were calculated based off area measurements of images to see what aspects of the coating affected the adhesion and lifespans. It was discovered that with the adhesion strengths and the delamination rates, 50% UV intensity performed better compared to 95% intensity, suggesting a gradient of curing was made. Overall, the increase in HCPK saw a change in adhesion as well, where the 3% HCPK demonstrated higher strengths which increased adhesion. The IR spectra, however, indicated that both sides had no significant difference. This could mean that not conversion, but the topology of the polymer was affected by the UV radiation. With these findings, further exploration into non-uniform curing of organic coatings can be made to ensure both better adhesion to metal substrates and better protection from the environment.

Investigating adhesion and delamination in UV curable coatings with anisotropic polymerization

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.