Isocyanate-Free Polyurethane Resins for One-Component, Ambient-Cure Coatings

The Phase I project showed that novel urethane-functional (NUF) resins could be produced that were free of isocyanates and very useful for one-component, ambient-cured (OCAC) coatings. Resins for OCAC coatings, which are expected to be valued at $5.7 billion by 2019, are used to produce a variety of coatings including oil-based paints, wood stains, varnishes, and aerosol paints._x000D_ Phase I results showed that NUF resins could be used to overcome a major limitation associated with the current state-of-the-art for OCAC coating resins. This limitation is the ability to significantly reduce the level of solvent in the coating without sacrificing coating performance characteristics, such as drying/curing time, durability/hardness, and chemical resistance. Thus, NUF resins provide high performance OCAC coatings with substantially lower levels of air pollutants (i.e. solvents). An added environmental benefit associated with NUF resins are their_x000D_ ultra-high biobased content. Coatings with a high biobased content are better for the environment and reduce our Nation's dependence on fossil resources. In addition, coating resins with a high biobased content enable product preference incentives for the coating supplier or coating end-user._x000D_ Results from the Phase I project were shared with multiple potential customers and their support for further development received.