| abstract |
A mixture comprising epoxidized liquid rubbers, amine hardeners and sulfur applied to a metal and cured produces a coating that is highly durable and provides strong anticorrosive protection to the metal. The amine hardeners serve to activate and dissolve the sulfur, speed up the curing time, and also bond to the rubbers to create a continuous molecular matrix. The activated sulfur also links the rubber molecules together, as well as anchoring the polymer matrix to the metal substrate via chemical bonds. In a preferred embodiment, the formulation also includes two types of accelerators which act synergistically to further reduce the curing time to less than one hour. The addition of micronized aluminum oxides provides increased uniformity of heating during curing and results in a more uniform coating. The addition of calcium oxide together with the presence of amines and aluminum oxide provides a complete absorption of acidic gases produced during curing. The addition of high molecular butadiene nitrile rubber increases the coatings impact resistance, low-temperature flexibility, and adhesion. |