Coatings are one of the pillars of ARC CBBC: the consortium has the intention to enable a ‘greener’ approach to the design and manufacturing of paints and coatings, thereby aiming for a more sustainable future. By rethinking the way chemical building blocks could be applied in future coatings, we will explore new chemistry for the purpose of product enhancement.
We will make polymer films more durable and easier curable, adding functionalities as fouling prevention and for the purpose of enhancing the sustainability profile of paints and lacquers. This will also enable the replacement of crude oil-based chemicals for renewable resources, using environmentally-benign and human-friendly components.
We are working on sustainably sourced carbon building blocks for coating binders, as well as on novel homogeneous catalysts to produce these advanced and functional coatings. Novel molecules are expected not only to improve coating performance and green coating production, but also to contribute to a more sustainable use of coated materials in general.