Oxazoline-based crosslinking reaction for coatings

Nowadays, coating materials must meet high demands in terms of mechanical, chemical and optical properties in all areas of application. Amongst others, amines and isocyanates are used as crosslinking components for curing reactions, meeting the highly demanding properties of the coatings industry. In this work, a new crosslinking reaction for coatings based on oxazoline chemistry is investigated with the objective to overcome disadvantages of established systems and fulfill the need for sustainable coating compounds. The oxazoline-group containing resin, synthesized from commercially available substances, undergoes cationic self-crosslinking polymerization to build up a network based on urethane and amide moieties. NMR-, IR- and ES-mass spectroscopy are suitable techniques to characterize the synthesized oxazoline monomers, which are linked to polyisocyanates and polymerized afterwards via self-polymerization. The progress of crosslinking is followed by changes in IR spectra and by rheological measurements to calculate time dependent values for storage and loss modulus. The glass transition temperature of the resulting coating is determined, too. Furthermore, sol–gel-analysis is performed to determine the degree of crosslinking. After application on steel and aluminium panels, application tests are performed. In addition to excellent adhesion to the substrate, the polymer network shows promising mechanical properties and with that it could represent a new technology for the coatings industry.