Design and formulation of waterborne epoxy binders and paints: Is the sky the limit?

 
Waterborne epoxy binders have proven their ability to replace or even outperform standard solvent borne solutions in many coating applications. High performing waterborne epoxy systems, complying with increasingly stringent regulatory requirements, are now globally available. Three major routes for future growth of waterborne epoxy technologies are cost reduction, lower Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) content both in binder and paint, and improved performance of coating formulations. This paper will focus on the newest developments and innovations targeting these three directions, in order to identify the best performances possible with commercial and developmental products. How can we use binder design and paint formulation to push the limits regarding key demands such as fast dry, high flexibility, outstanding adhesion, chemical and long term corrosion resistance, as well as VOC reduction.