The introduction of environmental legislation across Europe since the early 1980’s has resulted in increased research into VOC compliant coatings. This can be achieved through a combination of high solids acrylic polyols, low viscosity/100% solids isocyanate prepolymers and reactive diluents.
Reactive diluents based on low molecular weight polyester or polyether polyols, castor oil derivatives, oxazolidines and acetoacetate chemistry are commercially available. The reactive diluent not only reduces the viscosity of the system, whilst increasing the solids, but it can also give improvements in resistance properties and durability. The polyester polyols do, however, have an adverse effect on drying times and hardness of the coating.