Search

The ubiquitous nature of polymers has led to a widespread demand for sustainable polymers in numerous industrial applications. However, a lack of well laid out guidelines, product development pathways and certifications has resulted in a lot of commotions and confusions within the polymer value chain. Herein, a meticulous review is conducted on the topic of polymer sustainability shedding light on the standards, product declarations, biobased-biomass concepts, product carbon footprint, etc. It is critical that companies significantly contribute to such sustainability efforts in lieu of market readiness and competitive advantages. Any discussion within the sustainability horizon references a couple of terms/abbreviations/concepts. In this article, such key terminologies and concepts related to polymer sustainability are reviewed with a holistic outlook on the widespread approaches within the polymer sustainability horizon. In the polymer raw material manufacturers, the mass balance approach has gained more momentum with International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC). Product carbon footprint, life cycle analysis and third-party certifications were noted as the three key factors of sustainability engagement, with polymer manufactures placing sustainability commitments and targets for carbon emissions control. It is foreseen that a collaborative network between academic research, raw material manufacturers and the upstream companies and consumers will drive the sustainable polymer products market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among non-metal substrate coatings, plastic substrates have certainly asserted themselves as a key market, especially in the automotive industry. The substrates within exterior automotive industries are being diversified and commercialized at a rapid pace. Mainly attributed to the emergence of electric vehicles, environmental regulations, and functional requirements, there is huge scope and many opportunities for advancements and groundbreaking technologies. The above factors have led to the dawn of new and improved coating materials within the revolutionizing new substrate market. At the same time, new product innovations within ultraviolet (UV)-curable technologies, powder coating, nanotechnologies, and several other platforms have brought the possibility of novel coating systems into the picture. This review outlines the inherent challenges, the progress made thus far, and the future opportunities of two significant exterior plastic substrates: thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) and polycarbonate (PC). While the former serves as the historical choice for plastic bumpers across the globe, the latter has captured the most research attention in recent times as a lightweight option against glass coatings. A meticulous overview of the existing literature was conducted to summarize the recent approaches with a few critical analyses. To surpass the challenges to the equivalent performances, a few of the most promising research studies were also examined, including the sustainability aspect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

FTIR images of (a) Exp. Solvent free acrylic polyol (b) Exp. Solvent free acrylic polyol cured with polyisocyanate, Desmodur N3390. • Incorporation of a renewable reactive diluent in the acrylic polyol resin synthesis. • Environment friendly Acrylic polyol resin with no solvent in formulation. • Low molecular weight product with excellent cross-link density. • Excellent mechanical and chemical properties of the coating. • VOC of the coating is < 160 g/L. Solvents play a huge role in the manufacturing of various acrylic resins due to their ability to control the molecular weight, reduce the viscosity and enhance the flow and levelling of the coatings. However, they contribute significantly to volatile organic content (VOC) which is a key parameter in the field of coatings industry. In view to minimise VOC, various polyols have been studied as reactive diluents/solvents to replace conventional solvents in acrylic polyol synthesis. In this manuscript, 1,3-propanediol oligomer, a 100 % bio-based oligomer has been used to completely replace the conventional solvent in the acrylic polyol synthesis. 1,3-propanediol not only acts as a solvent but also takes part in the curing process by reacting with polyurethane (PU) cross-linkers. To achieve the same properties as solvent based acrylic polyol resins, suitable monomers, initiators and reaction conditions were explored. Most of our designs exhibited viscosity in the range of Z6 to Z8 on Gardener scale at 25 °C. A solitary design resulted in a viscosity of Z4-Z5, which was well within our required parameters. This acrylic polyol resin based on 1,3-propanediol was cross-linked with PU cross-linkers in clear coat. The obtained film was then studied using various analytical techniques such as dynamic mechanical analyser (DMA), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The advantage with 1,3-propanediol based solvent free acrylic polyol resin is the reduction of VOC from 400 g/L to ∼ 160 g/L. It is observed that the coatings obtained from this acrylic polyol resin exhibited comparable performance in two component (2 K) PU coatings to that of in-house solvent borne acrylic systems having high VOCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]