Besides fatty acids, other monofunctional acids are often used in small quantities in certain alkyd resins (Figure 2.11). Rosin was initially used to modify the drying time of alkyd resins because of its low cost, but it impairs durability of coatings. Some aromatic monofunctional acids such as benzoic acid or p-tert-butylbenzoic acid are used in small quantities, mainly to control functionality and to avoid gelation during resin processing. Some synthetic monofunctional aliphatic acids such as 2-ethylhexanoic acid and isononanic acid are also used in some special cases.
Figure 2.11: Common polybasic and monobasic acids for alkyd resins |