Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Effect Of Polymer Design And Coating Formulation On The Water Uptake And Sensitivity Of Acrylic Water-Borne Films, William Z. Thompson

Master's Theses

Water-borne latex coatings represent a safer, more user-friendly, and environmentally responsible alternative to solvent-borne coatings, and are growing in popularity each year. However, these coatings often exhibit unfavorable performance when exposed to water for extended periods of time. This prolonged exposure often results in water uptake, which may give rise to other detrimental effects such as a decrease in modulus, blushing or water-whitening, reduced serviceable life, and softening of the film. In this study, various polymer composition latex design spaces are studied to develop an understanding of how water uptake can be modulated and minimized using common synthetic approaches. Factors …

Anti-Corrosion Performance Of Primer And Top Coat Formulations For Metal Substrates, Laural Elizabeth Hargrove

Master's Theses

This project involved the improvement of several properties of the current “universal” primer coating sold by Kelly-Moore Paint Company. This formulation is an all purpose primer used both for interior and exterior applications. However, its corrosion resistance has room for improvement. The addition of sodium nitrite, an aminocarboxylate salt, and a zinc phosphate-based additive were all tested as corrosion inhibitors. In addition, during the project the coating binder was changed to improve adhesion. After a systematic experimental program, a new “universal” primer with increased corrosion resistance and adhesion was formulated.

A direct to metal top coat formulation sold by Kelly-Moore …

The Development Of Transparent, Processable, Thermally-Responsive Coatings, Christopher David Roland

Master's Theses

Polymer matrices are commonly used as guest-host systems for organic chromophores for use in non-linear optical materials. The chromophores must be aligned or poled in an electric field in order to impart anisotropy and non-linear activity to the material. This poling process raises several issues, the two largest being the eventual relaxation of the chromophores back into random orientations due to brownian motion, and high molecular weight polymer matrices limiting chromophore mobility during poling. The prevention of this relaxation process is an area of significant interest, especially in applications that require long term coating stability and activity. In this study, …