Polyester Replaces Solvent-Based Paints

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), August, 2000

A new coating material that emits virtually no volatile organic compounds (VOC) during application could replace conventional solvent-based paints and anti-corrosion coatings in a wide range of uses. Derived from a durable polyester material, it can be tailored to provide the specific properties required by different applications.

Developed by a research team at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, the ultra-low VOC coating would meet new environmental regulations expected to limit severely VOC emission from paints and other coatings. "The potential applications are enormous," says Robert E. Schwerzel, a principal research scientist at the Georgia Tech Research Institute. "These coatings could, in principle, replace many of the solvent-based paints, enamels, and varnishes that are currently used to coat everything from stoves and refrigerators to aircraft."

Conventional polyester coatings are cross-linked and cured in a process that involves removing a small volatile molecule and evaporating an organic solvent. The small molecule and solvent usually evaporate into the atmosphere, becoming pollutants. The new process removes and captures that small molecule during the manufacturing, and does not require a solvent.

"Our coating molecules are applied to a surface, and with light or heat and a suitable catalyst, rearranged to form a strong, durable coating without any need for solvents or any need for removal of the small molecules," Eckert explains. "This leaves us with a virtually zero VOC paint."