Ecole Supérieure des Sciences Appliquées d’Alger

Département Génie des Procédés

Procédés Organiques

Project of :
Reaction of polymerization

Realized by

 TELHAOUI HASSINA

2O21/2022
 Table of content :

1 / Introduction 
2/ What is a Polymer Coating?
3/ Brief History of Polymer Technology in the Coating
Industry

4/What is a Polymer Coating, Industry News and

Growth

5/ synthesis of PVA

5-1/Polyvinyl acetate PVA

5-2/ the manufacturing process of PVA:

6/ Necessity of Polymeric coatings

7/ Conclusion
1 / Introduction :
The word polymer is derived from a Greek word, where “poly”
means many and “mers” means particles. So, polymer can be
described as a combination of identical molecules called mers.
Polymers are composed of repeat units of small compounds
called monomers. Different polymers show different properties,
depending upon how the monomers are linked with each other.
Some polymers are hard, such as bakelite and glass; whereas
some are soft, such as biopolymers, silk, and rubber. Polymers
are found to have several applications and the use of both natural
and man-made polymers is widespread in our society. The natural
polymers include proteins and polysaccharides, and the man-
made polymers include synthetic plastics and fibers.

2/ What is a Polymer Coating?

A polymer coating is a thin layered coating or paint made with
polymers that provide superior adherence and protection from
corrosion. A polymer is a molecule made by joining together
many small molecules called monomers that are made up of a
large number of similar units. This can include synthetic organic
materials like resins and plastics. Polymer coatings can be
applied to metals, ceramics as well as synthetic materials. They
are temperature-resistant up to approx. 535°F (280°C) and FDA-
approved and are therefore used primarily for food production
(e.g. containers, multi-head scales, frying pans).
Applying a polymeric coating to a metallic surface increases the
ionic resistance.
 3/ Brief History of Polymer Technology in the Coating
Industry

image credit: chemical structure of Epoxy prepolymer,

Wikipedia (cc-by-sa-2.5)

When looking at the history of polymer coatings, we can

reflect on the workings of Herman Mark, who established the
Polymer Research Institute in 1946, which became the center for
polymer research in the United States. Or, we could start in 1953
when a German chemist, Hermann Staudinger, won the Nobel
Prize for Chemistry for demonstrating that polymers are long-
chain molecules (giant molecules). 

Staudinger's work laid the foundation for the expansion of the

plastics industry. The chemical composition and structure of
these giant molecules made them suitable for industrial
applications.
The door opened for polymers when Aerospace composite
requirements needed high strength, lightweight, corrosion
resistance, and cost-effective materials. Different polymers
were considered to meet these performance requirements. A few
polymers that were studied include:

Phenolics - extremely brittle, lack of toughness, high solvent

content and difficult to apply (requires three heat cures during
application)

Polyester - low physical properties, poor bonding

Vinyl Ester - high styrene content (not good to breath) -

extremely flammable and toxic during application and cure,
sensitive to atmospheric moisture and temperature, short shelf
life (3 months), high cure shrinkage - leading to being very brittle,
one-third the strength of epoxy resins, poor bonding

Epoxies - high strength, high bond, low surface energy,

chemical resistance

Epoxy polymers, a class of thermosetting polymers, became the

best choice. They are stable, tough, and resistant to corrosive
chemicals. Epoxies are high performing adhesives and useful
industrial surface coatings.

4/What is a Polymer Coating, Industry News and

Growth

A polymer coating is a coating or paint made with polymers that

provide superior adherence and protection from corrosion. To
fully understand a polymer coating, one needs to comprehend
the actions of a polymer. Looking at the definition of a polymer
noted by Wikipedia, a polymer is a molecule made from joining
together many small molecules called monomers.  

This type of chemical reaction (bonding together into a larger

molecule) creates the functional behavior of the coatings. 

Industrial Coatings Industry News

"Global demand for industrial coatings is projected to touch

$105.5 billion by 2022, growing by a rate compounded annually
at 6.1% between 2016 and 2022".

 Over the last ten years, research has brought us closer to

functional coatings that are easy to use, self-cleaning,
antibacterial, or consist of antifouling properties. One of polymer
coating's most substantial advantages is it has little or no impact
on other properties when being used. For example, when
coatings are applied for protection purposes to transport and
store chemicals, safety and mechanical strength are not
compromised.

Coatings are resistant and durable. Because they are primarily

used for protection against the elements (e.g: water, corrosion,
environment), they must meet high-performance requirements.

5/ synthesis of PVA

5-1/Polyvinyl acetate PVA

In this field, the polymerization reaction is that of synthesis of

Polyvinyl Acetate (PVA). This polymer is one of the essential
compounds in the manufacture of BLANROC super which is
produced in the factories.

These are the vinyl resins with the largest production. They are
obtained by polymerizing volatile liquid vinyl acetate monomer,
itself obtained from acetylene and acetic acid.

The bulk production of polyvinyl acetates is in the form of

aqueous dispersions, with a dry extract of about 50%. Protective
colloids and dispersants ensure emulsion stability.

These dispersions occur as whitish liquids, more or less viscous

and thixotropic. Upon drying, the dispersed resin particles weld
into a continuous and transparent film. Unlike the solutions, this
film is no longer soluble in water. Polyvinyl acetate needs to be
plasticized. It’s done in two ways:

External plastification: a conventional plasticizer is emulsified

(the most common is butyl phthalate) at the same time as the
resin is dispersed. The mixture is fairly homogeneous and, at the
time of coalescence, resin and plasticizer form a single film.
However, the plasticizer tends to disappear gradually.

We prefer internal plastification: the plasticizer is combined, not

mixed with the resin in the form of a copolymer.

The most common comonomers are maleates, propionates,

butyl acrylate, and ethylene, each bringing its different
properties.

Dispersions vary in quality, depending on the size of the

dispersed particles (0.2 to 2μm) and the nature of the
dispersants. Improving stability sometimes goes against the
chemical and mechanical resistance of the film [1].The
comonomer in use in the company is ethyl-2-hexyl acrylate. Our
objective is to compare the latter with the butyl acrylate
comonomer which will be our variable in two different media:
hard water and demineralized water.

Figure-1- Semi-structural formula of polyvinyl acetate. (Source

Wikipédia, l'encyclopédie libre)
5-2/ the manufacturing process of PVA:

The experimental device used for the synthesis of the latex at

the laboratory scale is represented by the following figure.
Figure-2- Representative diagram of the experimental setup for
the synthesis of PVA .Source- University of Waterloo Quantum
dots: Harnessing the nanoscopic rainbow | Chem13 News ...

The manufacturing process for the preparation of PVA is semi-

continuous, the monomer is incorporated into the reactor in a
controlled manner, in order to obtain a better distribution.

Vinyl emulsion is done in two steps:

a) The first stage

It consists in preparing the aqueous solution. In a semi-

continuous reactor with stirring let us pour water at an ambient
temperature, when the temperature of the water reaches 45°C
we add the protective colloid, then at a temperature rise equal to
50°C we add the pH regulator (sodium bicarbonate)

We end this step by adding anionic and non-ionic surfactants

when the temperature of the medium reaches 55°C.

b) The second stage

Once the temperature of the aqueous phase reaches 60°We add

the first quantity of the catalyst solution (potassium persulphate)
is added to initiate the polymerization; when the temperature
reaches 65°C, 10% of the monomer (AVM and ethyl-2-hexyl
acrylate and/or butyl acrylate) are added in small amounts to
prevent temperature drop and the appearance of foam.

When the 10% of monomer is completed, the heating is

increased to 82°C at 86°C at this temperature, we pay 90% of
the remaining monomers with a constant flow rate for holding an
addition time of about 4 hours.

this period we add the catalyst solution in small quantities every

5 minutes, the temperature of the reaction mixture is between 78
and 86°C.

At the end of the reaction we add the final catalyst solution and
cool down to 45°C.

6/ Necessity of Polymeric coatings:In our modern society,

coatings are useful in several ways. Some are used for good
appearance, while others are highly functional, embedded in
devices or used to protect the other materials by covering them.
Coatings, thus, play a vital role in our life, whether as mere
protective layers or as a functional part of intricate machinery
(Sharma et al., 2019a). The decorative function includes gloss
and diffuse reflection, aesthetic appearance, transparency, and
cleanability. The protective function includes the protection of
substrate from external aspects such as humidity, light, fungi, air,
bacteria, chemicals, dirt, corrosion, impact, and mechanical
abrasions. Hence, the polymeric coatings are the delicate mix of
polymers with different types of additives to enhance the
functional properties.

7/ Conclusion:

The main role of coatings is in decoration, protection, and

providing functionality. The different fields have different coatings
requirements. For example, in adhesion, the required properties
are wettability and scratch resistance. For outdoor applications,
the coatings are required that can withstand the changing
environmental conditions. In electrical industries, conductive
coatings are required. In food industry, the coatings are required
that do not allow water to permeate and absorb humidity. In
membrane industry, porous coatings are required for selectivity
of gases. The next-generation coatings would be multifunctional
coatings that can perform two to three functions together.

REFRENCES:

Ambrogi, V., Carfagna, C., Cerruti, P. and Marturano, V., 2017.

Additives in Polymers, Modifcation of Polymer Properties.
Elsevier, pp. 87–108, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-44353-
1.00004-X.
Gowariker, V.R., Viswanathan, N. and Sreedhar, J., 1986.
Polymer Science. New Age International,
https://doi.org/10.1002/aic.690331233
Marrion, A., 2004. The Chemistry and Physics of Coatings.
Royal Society of Chemistry,
https://www.mobt3ath.com/uplode/book/book-23801.pdf