Metal adhesion and corrosion resistance in waterborne, styrenated acrylic direct to metal (DTM)

 
Design of water-borne styrenated acrylic resins for metal protection requires balancing a multitude of often competing properties. An extensive benchmarking study of polymers and commercial paints revealed a significant gap in delivering both good corrosion resistance and a robust wet and dry adhesion profile across multiple metal substrates. Early attempts at in-house prototype development yielded similar results. The adhesion/corrosion balance drove an investigation into the fundamental mechanisms by which acrylic polymers both adhere to substrates and inhibit corrosion. Film properties such as adhesion, hardness, barrier properties, and electrochemical impedance were measured and correlated with corrosion resistance on bare cold rolled steel in ASTM B117 salt fog. Leveraging the structure/property relationships derived from this work, a next generation styrenated acrylic DTM was developed.