VeoCryl Versus Conventional Acrylic Coatings
VeoVa™/acrylic copolymers (VeoCryls)
Pure-acrylic emulsions are well known in the marketplace for being high-quality binders. VeoVa monomers significantly upgrade some key performance properties of acrylic coating systems such as adhesion, water resistance, exterior durability and chemical resistance.
Conventional process
VeoVa monomers readily copolymerize in emulsion with acrylate and methacrylate monomers to yield latices especially suitable for high-performance coatings. The production of these VeoVa/acrylic latexes occurs via free-radical emulsion polymerization of VeoVa and (meth)acrylate monomers at 80–8ºC in a semi-continuous process.
Core/shell technology
Alternatively, a two-stage process where only a part of the selected monomers are initially reacted followed by delayed addition of the rest of the monomers creating a core/shell morphology can be used. Careful control of the composition of the core/shell process allows preparation of an endless variety of tailor-made polymers.
Improved water resistance and water repellence
In both conventional and core/shell systems, the incorporation of VeoVa 10 into an acrylic polymer leads to performance improvements. As VeoVa content is increased, properties improve.
In a series of videos, we compare the water repellency of a core/shell pure acrylic with a core/shell VeoCryl that was formulated in an 18%PVC roof tile coating.
Both systems had a core Tg of -3C and a shell Tg of +35C and were prepared in a similar manner. The only difference between the two systems is that for the VeoCryl polymer the acrylic monomers in the core were replaced by VeoVa10. This resulted in a VeoVa rich core that accounted for 30% of the total polymer composition.
While various additives exist to increase the short-term hydrophobicity of coatings, the use of highly hydrophobic monomers that are chemically incorporated into the polymer backbone is an effective way to create a durable and long-lasting barrier against water.
High-end coating applications
VeoVa/acrylic latices form the basis for high-quality products demanding long-lasting performance. Examples of applications include:
- Wood varnishes
- Gloss and semi-gloss emulsion paints
- Roof tile coatings
- Anticorrosion primers
- Maintenance paints
- Adhesives for plastics
- Water repellent systems