March 25 - 27, 2025
Nuremberg, Germany
Booth 320, Hall 4A
The European Coatings Show is the largest and most awaited event for the coatings industry in Europe. This is your chance to have face-to-face interaction with the Hexion team and to learn about the latest developments with Versatic™ acids, VeoVa™ vinyl esters, and Cardura™ glycidyl ester for coating applications.
Title: Highly branched neodecanoate esters as key building blocks for radiation-curable diluents and oligomers with enhanced adhesion properties and potential for bio-based itaconate solutions
Presenter: Christophe Steinbrecher
Date: March 24, 2025
Time: 16:30
Session N° 3: Radiation Curing, Room Kopenhagen
Over the years, the industry has shifted towards more sustainable and less toxic reactive diluents and oligomers for radiation-curable materials. This is evident in the development of bio-based alternatives and low volatile reactive diluents with reduced migration issues. However, increased regulatory pressure is limiting the options for developing new binders and formulating cost-effective UV systems. The molecular structure of raw materials significantly impacts properties like processability, curing reactivity, adhesion, and allergenic potential, especially with low molecular weight and low viscosity monomers.
Esters derived from neodecanoic acid exhibit highly branched structures, which can confer specific properties and processability to reactive diluents and oligomers used in radiation-curable systems. In this paper we demonstrate that oligomers with neodecanoate bulky aliphatic groups exhibit unique UV-curable performances and are effective for designing hydroxyester materials through a seamless polyesterification process.
For instance, the adduct of acrylic acid and glycidyl neodecanoate enhances adhesion on difficult apolar substrates compared to other acrylate-based reactive diluents, while maintaining a favorable HS&E profile. Various itaconate derivatives based on neodecanoate hydroxyesters show encouraging performance, even for 100% itaconate-based solutions, which are typically less reactive than acrylate derivatives. The molecular structure of neodecanoate esters expands the industry’s toolkit for developing new and potentially bio-based UV-curable reactive diluents or binders with unique properties.
Title: Structure-Performance Relationship of Tertiary Acid-Derived Monomers: Implications for Surface Energy, Hydrophobicity, Durability, and Sustainability
Presenter: Denis Heymans
Date: March 25, 2025
Time: 9:00
Session N° 9: Wood Coatings, Room Kyjiw
This presentation explores the structure-performance relationship of monomers derived from tertiary acids, focusing on their surface energy, hydrophobicity, durability, and contributions to sustainability.
Linear and branched alkenes, when subjected to strong acid conditions, undergo protonation to form carbocations, which rapidly rearrange into more stable tertiary carbon structures. Pioneering work by Dr. Koch at the Max Planck Institute in the 1950s introduced convenient method for reacting these carbocations with carbon monoxide and water leading to the synthesis of highly branched tertiary acids. The most notable representative of this acid family is neodecanoic acid, a mixture of C10 tertiary acids characterized by an average of 3.5 to 4 methyl groups per molecule. These economically important chemicals are currently mainly derived in vinyl and glycidyl ester monomers for high performance coatings resins. Their sustained commercial success can be attributed to their unique chemical structures and resultant properties.
Firstly, their aliphatic nature imparts hydrophobicity, exceptional resistance to water, chemicals, and ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Secondly, the high methyl group content leads to reduced cohesive forces among molecules, thereby lowering the overall surface tension of derived resins and coatings. Additionally, this property contributes to decreased viscosity, improved flow characteristics, enhanced film formation, and superior aesthetic appearance of the coatings. Lastly, ester monomers derived from neo-acids exhibit remarkable resistance to hydrolysis. Various examples illustrate improved durability and overall performance in both waterborne and solventborne coatings.
Vinyl esters of neo-acids can serve as co-monomers for (meth)acrylates or vinyl acetate, thereby enhancing the performance of emulsions across diverse applications. For instance, core/shell emulsion copolymers incorporating these monomers demonstrate superior durability in wood stains compared to entirely (meth)acrylic formulations. In intumescent coatings, these vinyl esters not only improve intumescent properties but also enhance the weathering resistance of the coating.
Neo-acid glycidyl and vinyl esters can be readily incorporated into acrylic or polyester polyols for 2K polyurethane coatings, particularly for automotive and protective applications. In these contexts, the high methyl content and aliphatic structure of neo-acids contribute to improved film appearance and enhanced durability of the coatings. In particular acrylic polyols incorporating neoacids vinyl esters demonstrated outstanding performance in marine topcoats.
Vinyl esters of neo-acids can also be effectively copolymerized with silane-functional monomers through a solution polymerization process. Upon application, these resins can function as moisture-curing coatings, serving as viable isocyanate-free alternatives to two-component (2K) polyurethanes while maintaining excellent durability. Additionally, the low surface tension of these polymers facilitates their use in applications such as easy-clean surfaces and anti-graffiti coatings.
Title: Branched vinyl esters copolymers for high-performance intumescent emulsion coatings
Presenter: Ludivine Augry
Date: March 25, 2025
Time: 11:00
Session N° 8: Functional Coatings II, room Shanghai
Intumescent coatings serve as passive fire protection systems. When exposed to high temperatures, they expand significantly, creating a thermally insulating foam preventing the spread of fire and protecting underlying structures.
The viscoelastic properties of polymeric binders significantly impact the foam expansion in intumescent coatings. These organic resins also contribute to char formation. Their chemical structure, that governs their thermal decomposition mechanism, directly influences char formation and efficiency.
At elevated temperatures, polyvinyl acetate copolymers undergo an autocatalytic deacetylation reaction, resulting in unsaturated polymer backbones (polyenes) with conjugated carbon-carbon double bonds. These polyenes then experience slower allylic chain scission reactions compared to non-conjugated polymers found in other thermoplastic materials like polyacrylates. Subsequently, slower complete degradation occurs. Kinetics of this process lead to optimal intumescent properties in the case of polyvinyl acetate.
To enhance coating performance, co-monomers like ethylene or acrylates can be introduced into the polyvinyl acetate backbone. However, these co-monomers interfere with deacetylation and subsequent allylic chain scission. Research indicates that ethylene negatively impacts the deacetylation process, especially at higher concentrations. Branched vinyl ester comonomers, such as vinyl neodecanoate, however, have been found to efficiently improve overall coating performance.
Paint formulations containing these copolymers exhibit excellent intumescence development. Notably, vinyl neodecanoate significantly enhances intumescent properties by improving foam expansion and stability, as demonstrated in our comparative study with waterborne binders of different chemical compositions (vinyl-ethylene, acrylics, and styrene-acrylics).
The benefits of vinyl neodecanoate extend beyond its intumescent properties. This highly branched monomer enhances the water repellence of the polymer due to its elevated carbon content. Consequently, the resulting coating exhibits improved weather resistance, and the in-can stability of the paint is increased, leading to a longer product shelf-life.
Title: Highly hydrophobic monomers for low surface tension, easy clean and anti-graffiti coatings
Presenter: Nathalie Havaux
Date: March 26, 2025
Time: 11:30
Location: Hall 3, Stand no. 3-742
Undesirable graffiti in public and private spaces causes significant aesthetic damage and degrades urban environments. Traditional cleaning methods are costly and environmentally concerning. Our study proposes coatings based on VeoVa™ vinyl ester resins as a durable and eco-friendly solution. These coatings, free from fluorine or silicone additives, maintain long-term effectiveness and reduce maintenance costs. Tests show remarkable resistance to graffiti and weathering, highlighting the potential of these coatings as a sustainable alternative for high-performance anti-graffiti applications.
Title: Aliphatic monomers for fluorine-free superdurable 1K and 2 K protective coatings
Presenter: Denis Heymans
Date: March 26, 2025
Time: 13:30
Location: Hall 5, Stand no. 5-243
VeoVa™ vinyl esters and Cardura™ glycidyl ester, derived from branched tertiary acids, offer a compelling solution for developing fluorine-free, highly durable protective coatings. Their unique molecular structure, characterized by a high concentration of methyl groups, imparts low surface energy and enhanced hydrophobicity to the resulting coatings. These properties translate into improved weathering resistance and corrosion protection. The use of these monomers aligns with sustainability goals by providing a fluorine-free alternative and contributing to extended coating lifespans, ultimately reducing the environmental impact of protective coatings.
Title: VeoVa™ vinyl ester-based emulsions for high-performance intumescent coatings
Presenter: Ludivine Augry
Date: March 27, 2025
Time: 10:30
Location: Hall 5, Stand no. 5-243
Intumescent coatings provide passive fire protection by expanding into a thermally insulating foam at high temperatures. This expansion prevents fire spread and protects structures. The viscoelastic behavior of polymeric binders, such as polyvinyl acetate used in waterborne cellulosic intumescent coatings, significantly influences foam expansion and char formation. VeoVa™ vinyl ester, with its highly branched structure, is the preferred co-monomer for enhancing the intumescent properties of these coatings. Unlike other co-monomers, such as ethylene or acrylates, VeoVa™ monomer not only improves fire protection performance but also enhances water repellence, weather resistance, and in-can paint stability.
