Tailoring adhesion (TailAd)

The understanding of adhesion mechanisms in coatings is very crude across both industry and academia despite the paramount role it plays to coating integrity. The core reason is that existing characterization methods are very rudimentary, which is limiting the ability to understand the relationship between chemical composition and physical properties of the coating. The project tackles this challenge by developing cutting-edge characterization techniques. Using advanced instrumentation, we can now study adhesion properties with precision, allowing us to quantitatively assess adhesion strength and identify key factors that affect it. By building a comprehensive knowledge platform, we aim to uncover the fundamental drivers of coating adhesion and understand how active compounds influence both short- and long-term adhesion behavior. This will enable the industry to move away from small, trial-and-error improvements toward substantial performance leaps and develop coatings that are not only more effective but also environmentally friendly and cost-efficient. The applications are vast, ranging from anti-fouling and topcoats to advanced anticorrosion solutions.

The understanding of adhesion mechanisms in coatings is very crude across both industry and academia despite the paramount role it plays to coating integrity. The core reason is that existing characterization methods are very rudimentary, which is limiting the ability to understand the relationship between chemical composition and physical properties of the coating. The TailAd project will develop new characterization methods utilizing advanced instrumentation that will provide the capabilities to study adhesion characteristics in much greater detail. Based on the new characterization methods, a new knowledge platform covering the fundamental drivers for adhesion of coatings and the behaviour of active species on short and long-term adhesion will be developed. This will enable the industry to shift from incremental, empirically based improvements to drastic performance enhancements based on the tailoring of underlying mechanisms in coatings. This knowledge platform on adhesion and migration will facilitate the coating industry to develop better and more environmentally benign products at attractive cost levels for a wide range of products, including anti-fouling, topcoats, and anticorrosion coatings.