Arkema Presents Technical Paper about Environmentally Safer Coating Systems

Arkema Inc. presented a technical paper on a high-performance, environmentally safer coating system for optimizing the protection of artistic and historic metalwork at the SSPC 2014 Conference on Feb. 11. SSPC 2014, held in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., serves as an international forum at which contractors, consultants, inspectors, engineers, paint/equipment manufacturers, and structure/facility owners exchange the latest research and technologies in the coatings industry. The event’s GreenCOAT technical program emphasizes innovations, the latest advances in eco-conscious coating technology, and developments for complying with green regulations.

With decreasing maintenance budgets, caretakers of our outdoor monuments, sculptures, and high-value architectural metalwork face formidable preservation challenges. In response to this urgent issue, the conservation community is continuously searching for more durable, low-maintenance coatings that provide longer-lasting protection against corrosion and degradation. Equally important, these new coating systems need to be environmentally safe, as increasingly stringent restrictions on volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions and solvent use are limiting available materials that can be used.

In his presentation on the restoration of historical architectural tiffany metalwork at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Dr. Kurt Wood, a principal scientist in Arkema’s Fluoropolymers R&D Division, explained how Kynar Aquatec PVDF emulsion technology meets the critical needs of the conservation and architectural communities for durable, low maintenance coatings that are safer for the environment. His presentation reviewed the results from accelerated and natural weathering studies, historic architectural metalwork applications at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Rodin Museum, and a study of the candidate coatings by a group of experienced metal conservators from across the country.

“Researchers at Arkema Inc. continually strive to optimize PVDF-acrylic hybrid materials for different protective coating applications,” says Dr. Wood. “Ultimately, it is hoped that this collaborative work will serve as a guide to conservators, caretakers, and preservation professionals in implementing new strategies for optimizing the protection of high-value artistic and historic metalwork.”

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