Thermally reversible polymer networks for scratch resistance and scratch healing in automotive clear coats

Sujin Sung, So Young Kim, Tae Hee Lee, Gregory Favaro, Young Il Park, Sang Ho Lee, Jae Beom Ahn, Seung Man Noh, Jin Chul Kim

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study investigated the application of a thermally reversible polymer network fabricated using Diels-Alder (DA)/retro-DA (rDA) reactions for use as a scratch-healing automotive clear coat. For this purpose, a new scratch-healing poly(urethane acrylate) network containing a DA adduct unit (DA-CL) was prepared, and its material properties and scratch-healing performance were compared to the properties of a commercial clear coat system (C-CL). The thermally reversible crosslinking and de-crosslinking reactions among the DA-CL, via DA and rDA reactions, were systematically evaluated using in-situ oscillatory rheology coupled with FT-IR spectroscopy. The material properties of the DA-CL and C-CL materials, including the thermal stability, thermal transitions, hardness, and scratch resistance, were measured using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), nanoindentation, and nanoscratch test methods. The scratch-healing performance of the DA-CL was quantitatively characterized and compared to the performance of the C-CL using a nanoscratch tester equipped with an optical microscope (OM) and an atomic force microscope (AFM). The DA-CL polymer network exhibited superior scratch healing and scratch resistance compared to the C-CL polymer network. These data indicated that the DA self-healing polymer network is potentially useful as a scratch-healing clear coat for the automotive industry.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)37-44
Number of pages8
JournalProgress in Organic Coatings
Volume127
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2019

Keywords

  • Automotive clear coat
  • Diels-Alder reaction
  • In-situ oscillatory rheology
  • Self-healing polymer
  • Thermally reversible crosslinking

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