Bayer Materialscience, Ford Motor Co. Bring Self-Healing Polyurethane Clearcoats Into FOCUS
Technical presentation highlights new developments for exterior automotive coatings
Troy, Mich., May 1, 2008 - Polyurethane coatings are the technology of choice for performance, beauty and low-temperature cure characteristics in automotive exterior applications. In a demonstration of its leadership in this area, Bayer MaterialScience LLC has developed new polyurethane raw materials that can be used to formulate self-healing coatings.
These new developments will be the topic of a technical presentation, "Self-Healing Polyurethane Clearcoats - New Developments for Exterior Automotive Coatings," given by Karen Henderson, senior associate scientist, Bayer MaterialScience LLC, and Christopher Seubert, Ford Motor Company, at the 33rd Annual FOCUS (Future of Coatings Under Study) Conference. Sponsored by the Detroit Society for Coatings Technology, the conference is an educational event for coatings formulators, manufacturers, end users, raw material and equipment suppliers, educators and students. The theme for this year's conference, which takes place May 1 at the MSU Management Center in Troy, Mich., is "Transformation in Transportation Coatings."
Henderson and Seubert will explain the customer and market requirements that are driving forces in the coatings market. These include the desire for coatings that are durable (scratch and chemical resistant), fast curing, and meet VOC regulations, such as high solids coatings and waterborne coatings.
This presentation will address the theory behind self-healing polyurethane coatings. According to the authors, two-component polyurethane coatings are inherently self-healing due to their unique chemistry and offer a number of intrinsic advantages that address customer and market requirements. These advantages include: o High reactivity and full crosslinking, even at low-temperature curing o Good chemical resistance and weather stability o Hardness, toughness and elasticity due to urethane and urea structure o Hydrogen bonds that allow for thermoplastic flow to relieve stress and allow self-healing of defects o Basecoat compatibility o High solids/low VOC o Pleasing optical properties (a high gloss or "wet look")
During the presentation, Henderson and Seubert will also review the results of laboratory macro-scratch tests demonstrating the properties of this technology. According to the authors, Ford laboratory macro-scratch/profilometry testing showed that the polyurethane system showed more scratch depth recovery versus the control OEM clearcoat. Furthermore, the nanoscratch method showed that the polyurethane system takes three-times more force to fracture than the control OEM clearcoat.
"The benefits of self-healing polyurethane coatings have been demonstrated on examples of automotive refinish, OEM and plastics clearcoats," concludes Henderson. "At BMS, we believe this is a promising technology that will continue to gain momentum."
Bayer MaterialScience LLC is one of the leading producers of polymers and high-performance plastics in North America and is part of the global Bayer MaterialScience business with nearly 15,400 employees at 30 sites around the world and 2007 sales of 10.4 billion euros. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction, medical, and sports and leisure industries. Our inorganic basic chemicals unit produces chlorine and related essential products for the chemicals industry. Let us give life to your vision. Bayer MaterialScience - Where VisionWorks.
Bayer Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, is a subsidiary of Bayer AG, an international health care, nutrition and high-tech materials group based in Leverkusen, Germany. In North America, Bayer had 2007 net sales of 8.1 billion euros and employed 16,800 at year end. Bayer's three subgroups, Bayer HealthCare, Bayer CropScience and Bayer MaterialScience, improve people's lives through a broad range of essential products that help diagnose, prevent and treat diseases; protect crops and enhance yields; and advance automobile safety and durability.
Contact: Tom Erdner, Phone: 412-777-5200 E-mail: thomas.erdner@bayerbms.com
For more information about coatings, adhesives or specialties, call 1-800-662-2927, e-mail naftainfo@bayerbms.com or visit www.bayermaterialsciencenafta.com.
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