High Performance Polymers Derived from Biobased Resources

By Jeffrey Danneman, Jennifer Chu

Government agencies have fostered the change from fossil fuel-based coatings to those with a reduced environmental footprint. Foremost among these are AIM VOC limits that necessitate the use of water in place of hydrocarbon solvents.

While a current coatings formulator will certainly consider these aspects in formulating new coatings, they will not be allowed to compromise performance. Using a combination of creative chemistry and advanced process technologies, vegetable oils have been incorporated into self-crosslinking polymers supplied in an aqueous continuous phase that allows the formulator to design the requisite dry film performance into coatings for multiple markets. Oil-modified polyurethane dispersions produce films with the exceptional abrasion and chemical resistance needed for gymnasium floor coatings.