Coatings utilizing acrylic resins are the leading polymer technology in the coatings industry. Historically alkyd finishes have held the leading position in coatings for decades. Acrylics are utilized in architectural coatings, product finishes for original equipment manufacture including automotive (OEM) and refinish, as well as special-purpose coatings.
Acrylic resins are primarily based on acrylate and methacrylate monomers and provide good weather resistance, resistance to hydrolysis, gloss and color retention in exterior applications. Due to their versatility and performance, acrylic coatings account for over 25% of all coatings and global sales approaching $25 billion. Acrylic resins can be thermoplastic or thermosett and are used in organic solvent born, waterborne, powder and radiation-curable coatings
Three broad classes of liquid coatings utilizing acrylic resins include thermoplastic, thermoset and waterborne. Many acrylic resins may also include other vinyl monomers such as styrene or vinyl acetate primarily to reduce cost. Acrylic monomers have a lower Tg than their analogous methacrylate monomers (for example compare the Tg for n-butyl acrylate versus n-butyl methacrylate see Table I and Table II). As Table II suggests, the glass transition temperature of the monomers selected for synthesis of a resin can be selected to enhance multiple properties that may include weather resistance, moisture resistance, oxygen permeability, flexibility reactivity, cure and hardness. In addition, acrylics can be functionalized with a variety of monomers to provide improved adhesion to metal, or to react for example with aminoplast or isocyanate crosslinkers.
Thermoplastic acrylic polymers (TPA) in general have excellent properties including exterior durability. Such resins were widely used in automotive OEM and Refinish topcoats from the 50’s to the 70’s, but their use has dramatically declined due to the high molecular weight necessary to provide properties, they require a high amount of organic solvent to enable air atomized spray application. Accordingly these paints apply at about 20% weight solids. Thermoplastic resins typically use a high level of methyl methacrylate in their polymer backbone to provide excellent hardness and exterior durability.
Thermosetting acrylic resins (TSA) are designed with functional monomers to either react with themselves when exposed to heat or moisture, or with that of a cross-linker to form a cross-linked film. Thermoset resins as a group are lower molecular weight and thus have higher application solids. Once cross-linked, as a class they offer films with excellent resistance to organic solvents, moisture and UV light and do not soften appreciably when exposed to moderately high temperatures as thermoplastics do. An example of acrylic monomers with functional groups that can be used to functionalize acrylic polymers to provide properties such as crosslinking, self-crosslinking, improved adhesion or pigment wetting are provided in Table III.
Being able to functionalize an acrylic resin with a wide range of reactive moieties provides the ability to tailor the performance of the resin backbone to provide improved adhesion over a variety of substrates, improved pigment wetting and/or the ability to provide crosslinking or self-crosslinking. Other acrylic monomers are also available to impart sulfonic acid, or phosphoric acid functionality to the acrylic resin.
Being able to functionalize an acrylic resin with a wide range of reactive moieties provides the ability to tailor the performance of the resin backbone to provide improved adhesion over a variety of substrates, improved pigment wetting and/or the ability to provide crosslinking or self-crosslinking. Other acrylic monomers are also available to impart sulfonic acid, or phosphoric acid functionality to the acrylic resin.
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Carbamate functional acrylics can also be made for example by reacting an isocyanate functional acrylic with hydroxypropyl carbamate. Many of the acrylics in the category of functionalized acrylic resins are used in automotive OEM and refinish clearcoats to provide an excellent combination of mar resistance, chemical resistance and light stability.
Acrylic polymers are also used extensively to make water reducible and emulsion resins. Water reducible acrylic resins typically have acid numbers of 40 to 60. An example of a water reducible TSA would have a resin composition comprised of MMA/STY/BA/HEMA/AA in a weight ratio of 40/20/22/10/ 8 prepared by free radical polymerization in a water reducible solvent such as a glycol ether solvent like 2-butoxy ethanol with butyl alcohol. To begin the process of making paint, a suitable amine is used to neutralize the acrylic acid in the resin backbone to provide an acid salt. The amine is used at less than the theoretical level of neutralization using for example 2-(dimethyl amino) ethanol (DMEA) or 2-Amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP). The next step in the paint making process involves the addition of water. Please refer to a previous Prospector article concerning waterborne resins: https://www.ulprospector.com/knowledge/3069/pc-fundamentals-waterborne-resin-technology/ as well as additional information on viscosity versus reduction characteristics of waterborne resins: https://www.ulprospector.com/knowledge/639/flow-leveling-viscosity-control-water-born-coatings/.
Acrylic emulsion polymerization is carried out in water with monomers, a water soluble initiator and surfactants. Many of the same monomers are used in emulsion polymerization as that in solution polymerization, however the properties of the latex can be greatly affected by changes in the: polymerization conditions, monomer structure and solubility, monomer concentration, surfactant type and level, temperature, initiator type and initiator concentration are all variables that can effect the emulsion particle size, structure and molecular weight of the final polymer. A detailed examination of latex polymerization is a significantly large subject and is thus out of scope for this article. Acrylic polymers are also used in powder coatings along with acrylate functional acrylic resins for radiation cure coatings. The fundamental influence of monomer Tg, molecular weight and functional monomers remain the same for all the applications described herein.
In summary it is the goal of this article to provide a heightened understanding of acrylic resin technology and its ramifications on paint performance characteristics and mechanical properties.
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Dear Ron; your figure 1 has come out wrong. I think it is intended to contrast polymethyl acrylate (that’s the molecule drawn on the left) and polymethyl methacrylate (that’s the molecule drawn on the right.
Dear Mr.Ron Lewarchik,
It is an excellent article and very useful for paint formulators and resin manufacturers.
N.SRIDHAR
The labels on PMMA and PMA ought to be switched, as it might give incorrect information to the un-initiated.
Buen articulo.
Gracias
Alvaro Hernandez
Just finding article about PMMA, really helps a lot.
Dear Mr. Ron
I am looking for Styrene acrylic resin licensors
please advise.
I would like to purchase Acrylic Resins ,in your store/company i would be happy if you can get back to me again with the prices and dimensions you having available in a moment,and also do you take all types of Credit Cards as your payment required?Kindly get back to me here or on phone so that we will work together as one panther. All the best and stay blessed…..
Hi John,
We do not actually stock or sell any materials. Please search Prospector for acrylic resins and contact the supplier for the resin of your choice.
Hope this helps!
Angie
Content Manager, Prospector Knowledge Center
Excellent article, thanks… do you know how to calculate the Tg of the next formula having known that the Tg of the solid resin is 110ºC? is it 33ºC?
Solid resin 30%
Water 70%
The Tg is not calculated to include volatile components, only the nonvolatile components of the polymer are used. Accordingly water will not effect the Tg as long as the water is volatilized.
Thank you for the very helpful information. Do you have any references available for the data and information provided?
Hey John,
What’s your application related to regarding the use of Acrylic Resin…You can contact to
Shiva Pharma chem Limited
India
Contact- +917017185051
Kind Attention to Mr. Pankaj Agrawal.
I need tharmoplastic acrylic higloss spray lacquer formula and ingredients pl. Help me
Hi Pandit,
You can search for formulations in Prospector: https://www.ulprospector.com/en/na/Coatings/Formulation?st=31
Hope this helps!
Angie
I would like to thanks so much about this articles and all the efforts you make,
I need your support,
I need styrene acrylic for carbon dioxide resistance or anticarbonation in the formula
Can you help me for this ?
Hello George,
Thank you for your inquiry. Please contact me directly at [email protected] as the answer to your question has many facets to discuss.
Kind regards,
Ron Lewarchik
#AcrylicResinCoating #Additives Market Research
Download FREE Sample of this Report @ https://www.grandresearchstore.com/report-sample/global-acrylic-resin-coating-additives-2019-909
Acrylic resin coating additives are mainly engineered metal derivates that enhance the performance of the coatings. The product is a thermoplastic material, which is obtained from certain compounds including methacrylic acid.
Dear Mr. Ron
Thank you for this paper
Is manganese octate and cobalt octate drier comfortable with TPA resin?
By TPA acrylic I believe you mean thermoplastic acrylic. If this is your intent, TPA will not provide any cure with the use of these driers. If your question is if these driers are compatible with TPA acrylic, in the event you are blending the TPA with a compatible alkyd in a solvent born formulation than depending on the solvent in most cases it will be compatible. However, most alkyds are not compatible with TPA’s.
The artical is very useful. but i would like to know what is the effect of above monomers on gloss and pot life of resin.
Dear Pramod:
Multiple formulating issues can effect gloss and pot life such as:
• ambient cure
• thermoset
• 100% solids
• two component urethane
• solvent selection
• mode of application
• application viscosity
• compatibility of ingredients
• level of catalyst
• waterborne or solvent born
In general if all other things are equal, Tg of the monomer and index of refraction have the greatest impact on gloss (lower Tg and higher index of refraction provides higher gloss).
hi,
I have prepared thermo plastic acrylic resin using regular monomer(MMA,BA,Styre,HEMA) having hydroxyl eq value-5610 coated as such with out any hardener on gloss plate after 48 hr I pour one water drop on the coating films but it showing blisters and white spot on the films and same coating expose QUV-B after 100 hr panel showing gloss value below 30 and films appear as a white .I am not understanding why it is happening to thermoplastic acrylic system what is solution for it?
Hi Shaik:
There may be a number of possible issues contributing to whitening. You may be dealing with marginal compatibility of your monomer mix, low molecular weight, poor conversion etc.
Please feel free to contact Chemical Dynamics by completing the CONTACT US form on the website at chemical dynamics.net.
Thank you,
Ron
Hi Mr. Ron
I would like to thanks so much about this articles and all the efforts you make,
I need your support, about how can calculate acrylic resin .
are you have any program to calculate .?
thanks a lot
Dear Wahdan:
What specific property would you like to calculate?
Thanks for reading,
Ron
I have inquiry for Acrylic Resin for Paints and Inks
Like Mitsubishi Dianal BR 116 Grade
I want to know alternative to this product.
can somebody please help me
Hi, Usama:
Please contact Chemical Dynamics through the chemical dynamics web site – chemicaldynamics.net.
Thanks for reading!
Ron