Room A Seminars

UV radiation damages polymeric coating systems and substrates. UV Absorber additives are often included in coating formulations for protection. Traditional organic UV absorbers are consumed by exposure to solar radiation, limiting the lifetime of the coating. In contrast, inorganic UV absorbers are not consumed in situ, so extending the coating lifetime. Some inorganic UV absorbers are photoactive, generating radicals which degrade the coating.
Advanced inorganic UV absorbers based on cerium oxide nanoparticles are not photoactive and will not degrade the coating. Water and solvent based dispersions, both with uniform small particle size, allow transparency in coating films.

Roughness and chemistry dictate whether a surface behaves in an adhesive or an abhesive manner. This is critical if the objective is to generate an adhesive bond or a coating to adhere to a part or whether the aim is to have a surface to which contamination does not adhere. The interdependence of roughness and chemistry on these behaviours is subtle and whilst broad guidelines may well be sufficient in many cases, a deeper understanding can reveal the potential for limitations and opportunities to improve reproducibility and functional behaviour. The presentation will provide background to the assessment of roughness and wetting behaviour and how these behaviours influence each other, I will also discusses the need for integrated, multiscale characterisation and design strategies combining chemistry, topography, and mechanics to achieve predictable interfacial performance.

Weathering & light exposure are significant causes of damage to coatings, plastics, adhesives, sealants, and other organic materials. This damage includes gloss loss, fading, yellowing, cracking, peeling, embrittlement, loss of tensile strength, and delamination. For many manufacturers, it is crucial to formulate products that can withstand outdoor service environments. Accelerated weathering and light stability testers are widely used to provide information on material durability for research and development, quality control and material certification. Outdoor testing in benchmark locations such as Florida and Arizona is an important addition to accelerated testing as it provides realistic results by exposing test specimens to natural conditions. Testing outdoors provides comprehensive, accurate results by reproducing complex weathering patterns not easily duplicated in an accelerated laboratory environment.