CORNET Initiative - ZINCPOWER project

Polish Corrosion Society is the applicant of this project. The research is conducted in the Institute for Engineering Polymer Materials and Dyes, in the Department of Paints and Plastics in Gliwice and the Road and Bridge Research Institute in Warsaw. German partners for this project are: German association Forschungsgesellschaft für Pigmente und Lacke e.V. and Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA.

The Users Committee that cooperates with the Applicant comprises of 7 companies-members of the Polish Corrosion Society: ARMA Firma Inżynierska Jerzy Noworyta Bartosz Noworyta, ANTICOR PPH, J.W – SYSTEM Jacek Wojdyła, PROMAL Coatings, SAVEPOL POLIURETANY, TALKOR, ZINGAMETALL POLAND S.C.

The project’s objective is to develop zinc-pigmented epoxy primers whose protective properties will be as good as in case of zinc-rich ethylosilicate primers. This will be achieved by applying new zinc pigments in the primers, developed by IPA, with their shape, particle size and composition modified. There will also be surface modifications: organic and inorganic (thin layer of Mg, Al), whose aim is to decelerate the rate of zinc corrosion in coatings.

It is estimated that the application of new generation zinc pigments will make it possible to obtain organic primers that would have comparable protective properties as zinc-rich inorganic primers. In addition they will be applicable on poorly prepared substrates. Thanks to this, the market of renovation paints will be enriched by high quality zinc primers that are effective in corrosion protection.

The development of new zinc primers will have a beneficial impact for environment protection, too. Zinc pigments modification might decelerate the solution of zinc in coatings exploitation environment, and at the same time decrease the number of zinc bonds releasing from the layer. Application of zinc primers that are able to effectively protect the steel substrate from corrosion and that are at the same time more tolerant to inaccurately prepared substrates will decrease the number of necessary repairs and renovations; this will contribute to environment protection as well.

The project’s realisation is not only scientific, but also practical. The results obtained during the study will contribute to understanding of protection mechanisms of modified zinc pigments – both cathodic and barrier. In reality, the results will be used to develop new epoxy zinc primers with increased corrosion protection properties. We are hoping that manufacturers will be interested in the formulations of developed paints.