Resin Composition for Powder Coatings

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a resin composition for powder coatings.

2. Description of the Prior Art

With the recent development of the technique of electrostatic powder coating of objects, powder coating compositions have been noted as being valuable. Powder coatings have various advantages. For example, unlike solvent-type paints, powder coatings do not contain volatile solvents at all and hence, they do not cause environmental pollution. The coated articles can be used immediately after coating and a thick coating can be obtained by one coating operation. Because of these advantages, the use of powder coatings has been rapidly increasing in recent years.

As resins for powder coatings, there have heretofore been used thermoplastic resins such as polyvinyl chloride, nylon and polypropylene, and thermosetting resins such as epoxy resins, thermosetting polyester resins and thermosetting acrylic resins. In general, thermoplastic resins are disadvantageous because the use of a primer is indispensable and the properties of the resulting coatings are insufficient. Accordingly, investigations have been made vigorously to develop powder coatings comprising thermosetting resins.

Epoxy resins having thermosetting characteristics provide coatings which are excellent in corrosion resistance, water resistance, adhesion to metals and mechanical strength, but coatings made from a powder coating composition comprising an epoxy resin are inferior in weatherability. As a thermosetting resin capable of overcoming this disadvantage, there can be mentioned a thermosetting acrylic resin, and it provides coatings possessing excellent weatherability and surface smoothness. Thermosetting acrylic resins are used in powder coatings for painting automobile and household electric appliances. However, the thermosetting acrylic resin is inferior to the epoxy resin in corrosion resistance and adhesion to metals. Most of the thermosetting polyester resins have properties intermediate between the properties of epoxy and thermosetting acrylic resins, but because a good balance of the various required properties of coatings cannot be attained with thermosetting polyester resin, the utilization thereof has lagged behind the use of other resins. Thus, various powder coatings have advantages and disadvantages and powder coating compositions having fully satisfactory properties have not been developed.

We have discovered a novel thermosetting resin composition for powder coatings which provides a powder coating composition having satisfactory properties, especially excellent smoothness, adhesion and mechanical properties (such as impact resistance and hardness) of the coatings made therefrom.

More specifically, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a resin composition for powder coatings comprising

(A) a polycarboxylic acid obtained by reacting

(1) a polycarboxylic acid formed by reacting

(i) a polyoxyalkylene ether of a dihydric phenol having the formula: ##STR1## wherein A is alkylene having 1 to 4 carbon atoms or carbonyl, R is alkylene having 2 to 4 carbon atoms, and each of m and n is a number of at least 1 and the sum of m and n is in the range of from 2 to 14, with

(ii) trimellitic acid or trimellitic anhydride in an amount of 1 to 4 moles per one mole of said polyoxyalkylene ether, with

(2) a diepoxy compound in an amount of 0.1 to 0.5 mole per mole of said polycarboxylic acid (1) to effect a chain-extending reaction, and

(B) a polyepoxy compound.

The polyoxyalkylene ether of the dihydric phenol (i) having the above formula, that is used in the present invention, can easily be prepared by reacting a dihydric phenol ##STR2## with an alkylene oxide having 2 to 4 carbon atoms, in the presence of a catalyst such as an alkali metal catalyst.

As the starting dihydric phenol used to make the polyoxyalkylene ether of the dihydric phenol, there can be used, for example, 2,2-di-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane, di-(4-hydroxyphenyl)methane, 2,2-di-(4-hydroxyphenyl)butane and 4,4-dihydroxyphenylketone.

As specific examples of the alkylene oxide that is used as the starting material for preparing the polyoxyalkylene ether of the dihydric phenol, there can be mentioned ethylene oxide, propylene oxide and butylene oxide, and halohydrins thereof.

As specific examples of the polyoxyalkylene ether of the dihydric phenol (i) that has the above formula, there can be mentioned polyoxypropylene (2)-2,2-di-(4-hyroxyphenyl)propane, polyoxypropylene (6)-2,2-di-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane, polyoxypropylene (14)-2,2-di-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane, polyoxypropylene (3)-di-(4-hydroxyphenyl)methane, polyoxybutylene (4)-2,2-di-(4-hydroxyphenyl)butane, polyoxyethylene (3)-2,2-di-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane, polyoxyethylene (10)-2,2-di-(4-hydroxyphenyl)methane, polyoxyethylene (12)-4,4-dihydroxydiphenylketone and polyoxypropylene (2)-4,4-dihydroxydiphenylketone.

The polycarboxylic acid (A) prepared by reacting the polycarboxylic acid (1) formed by reacting (i) the polyoxyalkylene ether of the dihydric phenol with (ii) trimellitic acid or trimellitic anhydride in an amount of 1 to 4 moles of said trimellitic acid or trimellitic anhydride per one mole of said polyoxyalkylene ether, with (2) a diepoxy compound in an amount of 0.1 to 0.5 mole of said diepoxy compound per one mole of the polycarboxylic acid (1), is used as the first component of the resin composition, and a polyepoxy compound (B) is used as the second component.

The diepoxy compound (2) to be reacted with the polycarboxylic acid (1) is a compound having 2 epoxy groups in the molecule. As the diepoxy compound, there can be mentioned, for example, bisphenol type diepoxides such as a diglycidyl ether of 2,2-di-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-propane, ether type diepoxides such as glycerin diglycidyl ether, neopentyl glycol glycidyl ether, 1,6-hexane diol diglycidyl ether and polyethylene oxide glycidyl ether, and aromatic and aliphatic ester type diepoxides such as diglycidyl phthalate and diglycidyl adipate. Among these diepoxy compounds, a diglycidyl ether of 2,2-di-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane is especially preferred because it is readily commercially available and confers satisfactory properties on the resulting coatings.

A preferred mixing ratio of the polycarboxylic acid (A) formed by reacting the diepoxy compound with the polyoxyalkylene ether of the dihydric phenol and trimellitic acid or trimellitic anhydride and the polyepoxy compound (B) is such that the number of carboxyl groups of the polycarboxylic acid (A) present in the composition is an amount of 0.5 to 2.0 equivalents, especially 0.8 to 1.2 equivalents, per 1.0 equivalent of epoxy groups of the polyepoxy compound (B). It is preferred that both the compounds be melt-mixed at the above mixing ratio.

The resulting mixture can easily be pulverized and it is stable at normal ambient temperatures. It can be cured by heating, irradiation of light, ionizing radiation and the like.

As the polyepoxide compound (B), there can be used organic compounds and resins containing on the average more than one oxirane group per molecule, for example, diglycidyl ether of 2,2-di-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane, triglycidyl isocyanurate, vinylcyclohexene dioxide, diglycidyl dimethylhydantoin, polyglycidyl ether of a phenol-novolak resin, diglycidyl ester of tetrahydrophthalic acid, diglycidyl ester of hexahydrophthalic acid and polyepoxy group-containing vinyl compounds.

The polyepoxide compound (B) may be the same as the diepoxy compound (2) or different, however it is preferable to this invention that the diepoxy compound (2) is liquid, such as Epikote 826, 828, 830, 834 and 836 (Trade Mark) manufactured by Shell Chemical Co., while the polyepoxide compound (B) is solid, such as Epikote 840, 1001, 1002, 1004, 1007, 1009 and 1010 (Trade Mark), so that the obtained blend may be effectively pulverized into powder.

As the coating methods for using the powder coating composition, there can be mentioned the electrostatic coating method, the fluidized bed dipping method, the flame spray coating method and the like. Powder coatings comprising the resin composition of the present invention can be coated by any of these known coating methods in the conventional manner.

The resin composition of the present invention provides a powder coating composition which is especially excellent in such properties as smoothness, mechanical properties and adhesion of the resulting coating. This characteristic is believed to be due to the bisphenol structure introduced into the main chain of the polycarboxylic acid and which in turn is reacted with the polyepoxy compound. In other words, it is believed that the bulky and relatively immobile structure of the bisphenol is manifested as excellent properties of the cured coating.

For further description of the present invention, illustrative examples will now be described. These examples do not limit the scope of the present invention.

At 120.degree. C 2 moles of trimellitic anhydride was reacted with 1 mole of polyoxypropylene (3.7)-2,2-di-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane for 3 hours to synthesize a polycarboxylic acid (1). Then, 1 mole of the thus-obtained polycarboxylic acid (1) was reacted with 0.2 mole of a liquid diglycidyl ether of 2,2-di-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane (Epikote 828 manufactured by Shell Chemical Co.) at 160.degree. C for 5 hours to obtain a chain-extended polycarboxylic acid (A) having a softening point of 123.degree. C.

Then, one g-equivalent (250 g) of the thus-obtained polycarboxylic acid (A) was mixed with one g-equivalent (950 g) of a solid granular diglycidyl ether of 2,2-di-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane (Epikote 1004 manufactured by Shell Chemical Co.) and 480 g of rutile type titanium oxide (Tipake R-550 manufactured by Ishihara Sangyo Kabushiki Kaisha) as a pigment. The mixture was kneaded at 120.degree. C for 5 minutes by a roll, cooled, pulverized by a mixer, and passed through a 200-mesh sieve (Tyler). The powder that passed through the sieve was coated on a plate of mild steel G-3141 (JIS) which had been treated with zinc phosphate, according to the electrostatic spray coating method using an electrostatic coating machine (Model 720 manufactured by Gema Co.). Subsequently, the curing reaction was conducted at 210.degree. C for 20 minutes.

The thickness of the resulting coating was 75 .mu.. The properties of the coating were tested according to coating test methods specified by Japanese Paint Inspection Association. The results obtained are as set forth below.

Gloss 60.degree. mirror surface reflection): 79%

Square cut adhesion test: 100/100

Du Pont impact test (500 g, 6 mm diameter): 50 cm

Smoothness: excellent

Erichsen test: 7.3 mm

Pencil hardness: 2H

Acetone tackiness test: no change

To 1 g-equivalent (64 g) of trimellitic anhydride were added 1 g-equivalent (950 g) of Epikote 1004 and 395 g of rutile type titanium oxide, and the mixture was kneaded at 110.degree. C for 5 minutes by a roll. In the same manner as described in Example 1, the mixture was pulverized and coated on a mild steel plate according to the electrostatic spray coating method and the coating was cured.

The thickness of the resulting coating was 72 .mu.. The properties of the coating were tested. The results obtained are set forth below.

Gloss (60.degree. mirror surface reflection): 64%

Square cut adhesion test: 100/100

Du Pont impact test (500 g, 6 mm diameter): 30 cm

Smoothness: good

Erichsen test: 6.6 mm

Pencil hardness: H

Acetone tackiness test: no change

At 120.degree. C 2 moles of trimellitic anhydride was reacted with 1 mole of polyoxypropylene (6)-2,2-di-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane for 3 hours to synthesize a polycarboxylic acid (1). Then, 1 mole of the thus-obtained polycarboxylic acid (1) was reacted with 0.2 mole of a liquid diglycidyl ether of 2,2-di-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane (Epikote 828 manufactured by Shell Chemical Co.) at 160.degree. C for 5 hours to obtain a chain-extended polycarboxylic acid (A) having a softening point of 104.degree. C.

The, one g-equivalent (247 g) of the thus-obtained polycarboxylic acid (A) was mixed with one g-equivalent (950 g) of a solid granular diglycidyl ether of 2,2-di-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane (Epikote 1004 manufactured by Shell Chemical Co.) and 480 g of rutile type titanium oxide (Tipake R-550 manufactured by Ishihara Sangyo Kabushiki Kaisha) as a pigment. The mixture was kneaded at 110.degree. C for 5 minutes by a roll, cooled, pulverized by a mixer, and passed through a 200-mesh sieve (Tyler). The powder that passed through the sieve was coated on a plate of mild steel G-3141 (JIS) which had been treated with zinc phosphate, according to the electrostatic spray coating method using an electrostatic coating machine (Model 720 manufactured by Gema Co.). Subsequently, the curing reaction was conducted at 210.degree. C for 20 minutes.

The thickness of the resulting coating was 64 .mu.. The properties of the coating were tested according to coating test methods specified by Japanese Paint Inspection Association. The results obtained are set forth below.

Gloss (60.degree. mirror surface reflection): 89%

Square cut adhesion test: 100/100

Du Pont impact test (500 g, 6 mm diameter): 50 cm

Smoothness: excellent

Erichsen test: 9.0 mm

Pencil hardness: H

Acetone tackiness test: no change