Polímeros híbridos são caracterizados por conter numa mesma partícula dois tipos diferentes de polímero, normalmente incompatíveis e ligados por ligações covalentes. Neste trabalho, a síntese de um polímero híbrido acrílico-alquídico pelo processo de miniemulsão foi investigada. Com o objetivo de compreender como diferentes variáveis na fórmula afetam as características físico-químicas finais do látex, um planejamento experimental foi desenhado com o auxílio do software DX9 e os resultados analisados por modelos empíricos de superfície de resposta. Os fatores variados (variáveis independentes) foram: quantidade de co-estabilizante, surfactante e iniciador. Cada um dos fatores contribuiu para a alteração de pelo menos uma característica avaliada, e a sinergia entre eles afeta diretamente o teor de RDG, resposta indicativa do grau de grafitização entre as espécies. O coestabilizante contribuiu para o aumento do diâmetro médio de gotas e da polidispersidade de tamanho de partículas, enquanto reduziu a dureza do filme. A concentração de surfactante alterou o número de partículas por litro, reduzindo o diâmetro médio de partículas e aumentando a polidispersidade. O iniciador aumentou a conversão monomérica. Todas as dispersões de polímero híbrido produzidas apresentaram redução do tamanho médio de gotas para partículas, indicando evidência de nucleação secundária. As avaliações por microscopia eletrônica de transmissão (TEM) e microscopia de força atômica (AFM) mostraram que a morfologia obtida é do tipo núcleo-casca. / Hybrid polymers are defined by the presence of two or more different kinds of polymers in the same particle, typically incompatible and linked by covalent bonds. In this work, the synthesis of an alkyd-acrylic hybrid polymer produced by miniemulsion polymerization has been investigated. With the goal of understanding how different variables in the recipe affect the final characteristics of the latex, a design of experiment was planned using DX9 software and the results were analyzed by response surface methodology. The factors studied (independent variables) were: amount of co-stabilizer, surfactant and initiator. Each of these factors contributed to change at least one of the evaluated characteristics, and the synergy between them directly affects the RDG content, response of the polymer degree of grafting. Costabilizer contributed to increase the average droplets diameter and polydispersity of particle size, while reducing the film hardness. The amount of surfactant changed the number of particles, reducing the average particle size and increasing polydispersity. Initiator increased the monomer conversion. All hybrids dispersions presented a decrease in the droplet size to particle size, indicating evidence of secondary nucleation. Core-shell morphology was observed through transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM).

A Comparison of Solvent and Water-Borne Alkyd Coatings Abstract Conventional solvent based alkyd coatings have gone out of favor due to concerns over volatile organic compound (VOC) content. However, due to recent focus on renewable raw materials, alkyds are making a comeback in waterborne form. Water based alkyd coatings are known to have poor shelf stability and corrosion resistance, as well as other problems during the formulation process. This project focused on comparing solvent borne to two types of water-borne alkyds, water reducible alkyds and alkyds emulsions. The purpose was to understand the differences between the three types of alkyds in terms of their production and final properties. It was ultimately hoped that the formulations used for this project would prove to solve the problems normally experienced by waterborne alkyds. After testing several chemical and physical properties, it was determined that the solvent borne alkyd coatings performed better than both water based systems in corrosion resistance, accelerated weathering, and shelf stability but the water reducible and emulsion alkyd coatings performed similarly to the solvent borne alkyd in gloss, contrast ratio, and durability. The VOC emissions for all three alkyd types were as expected; the solvent borne had the highest emission at 253 g/L, followed by water reducible with 166 g/L, and emulsion with 34 g/L. The History of VOC Regulations in the United States Abstract In another solvent based alkyd coating focused project within my research group, the question of the how volatile organic compound (VOC) regulation in the United States (U.S.) evolved came up. It quickly became apparent that no comprehensive answer to this question existed. Part two of this project is an attempt to answer this question in a comprehensive manner. VOC regulations started in California in the late 1970s, and paints and coatings became a nationally regulated emission source by the 1990s. The U.S. government limited harmful emissions, such as smog and compounds contributing to ozone depletion, through Clean Air Acts. The first Clean Air Act was enacted in 1965, but it wasn’t until the Clean Air Act of 1990 that VOC emissions became a focus. VOCs are not inherently hazardous but are a source of concern because they serve as a precursor to the formation of damaging ground level ozone. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established the minimum VOC emission limits in the Architectural and Industrial Maintenance (AIM) federal rule, but each state or state subdivision can enforce stricter limits within their borders. The strictest limits are set by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) in Southern California, but other entities exist. This report thoroughly documents the history of VOC regulation in the United States by collecting, combining, organizing, and summarizing information gathered from various industries and government publications, agency members, and industrial and academic professionals.

Organic coatings are extensively used as protective coatings in several industries including the automotive and aircraft industries. The last few years have witnessed an increased interest in improving not only the mechanical properties but also the corrosion protection properties of organic coatings. Among the currently investigated methods of improving the performance of organic coatings is the incorporation of additives in the organic paint matrix. Vapor grown carbon nanofibers (VGCNFs) are a class of carbon fibers that are produced by catalytic dehydrogenation of a hydrocarbon at high temperatures. Depending on the method of synthesis and the post-treatment processes, the diameter of the VGCNFs is normally in the 10-300 nm range. The small size, light weight, high aspect ratio, and unique physical, thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties of VGCNF make it an ideal reinforcing filler in polymer matrix nanocomposites to enhance the mechanical properties of the pure polymeric material in high performance applications in several industries such as the automotive, aircraft, battery, sensors, catalysis, electronics, and sports industries. The main objective of the current investigation was to study the corrosion protection offered by the incorporation of VGCNFs into a commercial alkyd paint matrix applied to the surface of mild steel coupons. The corrosion protection was investigated by immersing samples in air saturated 3% NaCl solution (artificial seawater). The samples were studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) along with other measurements, including electrochemical (open circuit potential, cyclic voltammetry), chemical (salt spray test), electrical conductivity, and surface analysis (SEM, AFM, optical profilometry, and nanoindentation). The study involved the investigation of the effect of the weight percent (wt %) of the VGCNF as well as the coating film thickness on the corrosion protection performance of the coated steel samples when exposed to the corrosive electrolyte. By way of contrast, the EIS behavior of steel coupons coated with a paint coating incorporating different weight percents of powdered silicon carbide (SiC) particles was also studied. The EIS spectra were used to calculated and graph several corrosion parameters for the investigated systems. At the end, the studied coatings were ranked in order of their anticorrosive properties.