SBIR Phase I: High-Performance Metal Pretreatments

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This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to develop a pre-paint treatment product without using chromates and phosphates for applications in metal-finishing industries. Chromates and phosphates are still widely used in pre-paint treatments, but are environmentally undesirable. Replacements have been proposed and implemented, e.g., in the coil coating industry, but such systems are less robust and require tighter control of processing conditions. Other systems, such as silanes, need to dry and cure prior to painting. Such treatments cannot be used under a cathodic electrocoated paint. In this project, a product that can be electrocoated within 2 minutes after the pretreatment will be developed. The performance is expected to be as well as chromates or phosphates on a range of different metals. The interactions between silanes and the additions, as well as the structure and properties of the films will be studied. The anticipated results will be a number of environmentally-compliant metal pretreatments that can be electrocoated. The broader/commercial impact of this project will be the potential to eliminate chromates and phosphates in pre-paint treatments without the loss of performance. The potential applications will be in automotive manufacturing, aerospace, steel industry (coil coatings), consumer electronics, appliance industry and many other industries where electrocoating is used for painting. An important societal impact will be the better protection to workers in plants, as this process is not toxic and will not require elaborate waste disposal procedures. This project will also enhance the scientific understanding of the mechanisms by which pretreatments contribute to the protection of metals.