SBIR Phase II: High-Performance, Environmentally Friendly Polymer Systems for Paints and Coatings

这个小企业创新研究二期项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是为油漆和涂料行业提供新的高性能，具有成本竞争力的聚合物/树脂系统，减少溶剂排放和石化产品的使用。此外，这些新型聚合物/树脂系统还可以生产单组分环境固化涂料。这意味着，无需在应用前将多种成分混合在一起，也无需加热或光照固化涂层，就可以生产出高度防护的涂层。这些聚合物/树脂体系的单组分、环境固化特性在很大程度上消除了与涂料应用相关的浪费和能源成本，并有助于生产普通人可以使用的油漆和涂料。与目前最先进的单组分环境固化树脂相比，这些新型聚合物/树脂系统的干燥时间大大缩短，耐化学性大大提高，薄膜硬度更高，同时具有出色的抗冲击性和柔韧性。这些具有成本竞争力的新型聚合物/树脂系统具有非常理想的性能，将使其在商业上取得成功，同时它们的低溶剂排放和高可再生含量将减少对环境的影响。该二期研究项目的目标是：1)进一步优化聚合物/树脂体系，以生产出溶剂含量最低、性能最高的组合物，同时满足市场成本限制；2)建立一条试验线，为潜在客户提供足够的样本量，以便他们自己对潜在产品进行评估；3)生成风化、腐蚀和储存/货架稳定性数据，以进一步了解优化后的聚合物/树脂体系的应用潜力；4)优化聚合物/树脂生产工艺，最大限度地降低成本，减少生产浪费。通过实现这些目标，第二阶段项目将产生新的聚合物/树脂系统，这将使新型油漆和涂料的开发和商业化成为可能，这些涂料和涂料是单组分，环境固化，溶剂含量低，具有优异的性能，同时主要基于可再生材料。优化后的聚合物/树脂体系将提供给潜在客户进行内部评估。如有必要，客户评价反馈将用于修改聚合物/树脂体系组成以满足客户需求。在第二期项目结束时，该技术将准备好进行生产规模扩大和产品商业化。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project is to provide the paint and coatings industry with new high-performance, cost-competitive polymer/resin systems that reduce solvent emissions and use of petrochemicals. In addition, these new polymer/resin systems enable one-component, ambient-cure coatings to be produced. This means that highly protective coatings can be produced without the need for mixing multiple components together prior to application or applying heat or light to cure the coatings. The one-component, ambient-cure features of these polymer/resin systems largely eliminate waste and energy costs associated with coating application and lend themselves to the production of paints and coatings that can be applied by the average person. Compared to the current state-of-the-art in one-component, ambient-cured resins, these new polymer/resin systems provide dramatically shorter drying times, dramatically better chemical resistance, and much higher film hardness, while exhibiting excellent impact resistance and flexibility. The highly desirable properties of these new cost-competitive polymer/resin systems will enable commercial success, while their low solvent emissions and high renewable content will reduce impact on the environment.The objectives of this Phase II research project are to: 1) further optimize the polymer/resin systems to produce compositions that minimize solvent content and maximize performance, while meeting the cost constraints of the market; 2) put in place a pilot-line to provide potential customers with adequate sample sizes to enable their own evaluation of potential products, 3) generate weathering, corrosion, and storage/shelf stability data to further understand the application potential of optimized polymer/resin systems; and 4) optimize the polymer/resin production process to minimize cost and minimize production waste. By meeting these objectives, the Phase II project will result in the generation of new polymer/resin systems that will enable the development and commercialization of new paints and coatings that are one-component, ambient-cured, low in solvent content that exhibit exceptional properties, while being primarily based on renewable materials. Optimized polymer/resin systems will be provided to potential customers for their own internal evaluation. If necessary, feedback from customer evaluations will be used to modify polymer/resin system composition to meet customer needs. By the end of the Phase II project, the technology will be ready to proceed to manufacturing scale-up and product commercialization.