Glycidyl Neodecanoate Technology

Buy Glycidyl Neodecanoate Simplifies Production of High-Performance Waterborne Acrylic Polyols. Compliance with increasingly stringent VOC legislation and an increased awareness of the importance of environmental stewardship have driven the development of many new low-VOC coating technologies. Waterborne acrylic polyols for 2K urethane finishes have played an important role in enabling regulatory compliance in the industrial and automotive finishes markets, yet their synthesis can be difficult. This article introduces a simplified method for the production of high-performance solvent-free waterborne acrylic polyols, made possible by Cardura™ E10P glycidyl ester technology. The performance characteristics of coatings made with these waterborne polyols is also demonstrated and compared to a commercially available waterborne polyol with significant solvent content.

The Birth of a Highly Versatile Family of Molecules

In the 1950s, Dr. Herbert Koch from the Max Plank Institute in Mülheim, Germany, found that olefins react with carbon monoxide and water under the influence of strong acids to form tertiary branched neocarboxylic acids (Figure 1). Before the intermediate carbocation reacts with carbon monoxide, isomerization reactions occur and, therefore, the resulting acid is composed of a number of isomers.^{1, 2}

These neocarboxylic acids can be converted to their glycidyl esters by reaction with epichlorohydrin. Cardura E10P glycidyl ester is a particularly useful and commercially available glycidyl neoester manufactured by the glycidation of Versatic™ Acid 10, which is a neocarboxylic acid containing 10 carbon atoms (Figure 2).

Cardura E10P glycidyl ester is a highly versatile molecule containing a reactive epoxy group, and a very hydrophobic and highly branched tertiary-substituted a-carbon structure. The epoxy group is used to incorporate the molecule into polymers through reaction with carboxylic acid groups, and the neodecanoate group imparts outstanding performance characteristics. Incorporation of the glycidyl ester into polymers brings enhancements such as excellent acid resistance, superior wet look appearance, very good weatherability and low viscosity.

Conventional Synthesis of Waterborne Acrylic Polyols

Waterborne acrylic polyols (APOs) are typically prepared via a conventional radical polymerization process in solvent, much like their solventborne analogues (Figure 3). Waterborne APOs differ from solventborne APOs in that they contain a certain quantity of acid monomer, such as acrylic or methacrylic acid, to impart anionic character to the polymer. After the polymer is synthesized, these acid groups are neutralized with an amine to impart water dispersibility. One disadvantage of polyols prepared via the conventional process is their solvent content. A significant amount of solvent is required as a medium for the poly-mer-ization process, and without additional processing steps this solvent would remain in the polymer. To reduce the solvent content of the polymer to an acceptable level, an energy- and time-intensive distillation step is required.