On the effects of hollow microspheres in elastomeric cool roof coatings

 
Emulsion polymers are widely used for all types of waterborne architectural coatings and have steadily penetrated into many segments of high-performance industrial coatings. The industry has developed and adopted many empirical test methods for assessing in-use application performance. These are generally simple measurements that attempt to replicate situations the dried coating film may experience during application and in its service life. However, these industry standard test methods do not always adequately address the root causes of coatings failures. To supplement the standard coatings test methods, combinations of mechanical testing and analytical techniques are employed to characterize the underlying chemical causes or material properties responsible for a field defect and/or performance failure in practical coatings systems. This paper will present a few case studies to show how this mechanistic approach can significantly advance our understanding of real world failure mechanisms and accelerate the development of differentiated latex products.