Acrylic Resins

Preface Acrylic polymers are essential products for various industrial application fields. Particularly, they play important roles as binders (acrylic resins), dispersion resins and polymer thickeners in the coatings industry. Since acrylic resins were launched onto the coatings market, they have distinguished themselves by meeting various quality requirements and replacing other resins. Acrylic resins are used in eco-friendly coating systems, for example. Thanks to their broad range of properties and to ongoing developments within this product class, they also serve as ingredients for many different coating systems. The present book presents an overview of the production, properties and application of acrylic resins and their distinctive features. It covers acrylic resins prepared by solution polymerization and emulsion polymerization, as well as reactive acrylic resins which form films by radiation curing. Besides a general description of these three product classes, there are chapters dealing with particular properties for the diverse application fields. The goal of the book is to convey the latest knowledge about acrylic resins in solvent-borne and water-borne systems, and for radiation curing in an understandable and descriptive manner. Given the breadth of applications for acrylic resins, the book discusses the different chemical and physical aspects of the production methods and the related application properties. There are numerous literature citations for further reading on specific issues. The book is aimed at students and newcomers to the field of coatings technology, and also at well-versed experts in coatings applications and other related industries. The essential background information herein will underpin decisions concerning the choice and use of acrylic resins.