Exploring the Applications of Self-Healing Paint
Gellner Industrial has made water-based polymers for use in a wide range of paints and primers for years. One of the more unique and innovative sectors of this industry is self-healing paint, a recent development in coating technology.
The Idea Behind Self-Healing Paint
Coatings are always affected in some way by their environment. Warmer temperatures will soften them, causing them to be more susceptible to damage, while colder temperatures cause them to solidify. Water and steam can cause paint to blister or bubble, creating unsightly patches and permanent damage to the coating that’s tough to paint over.
Self-healing paint is formulated to recover from damage like bubbling or blistering. The paint or primer will still be affected by damp environments, but as soon as those conditions are gone, the coating repairs itself, entirely recovering its former integrity. Typically, the polymers within the paint react to something, such as a change in the environment or a change within the structure of the coating itself, and essentially repair their previous bonds, reverting the damage.
Self-healing paints and primers are especially effective on substrates exposed to a constantly-changing environment. Bathroom walls and ceilings, for example, regularly come into contact with steam or water, but that contact only occurs during the short period of time when the room is in use. Once the air dries and cools, the paint can then revert the damage. That also applies to paints used on surfaces under sinks, where leaky pipes could cause damage as well–once the pipe is fixed, the paint will fix itself too. Outdoor environments are another example of where these paints could be used–especially in areas where weather conditions change often.
The ability to self-heal isn’t just applicable after the initial coating has been applied and allowed to dry. Applying a coat of paint often requires a period of time in which the coating is allowed to dry, but in some situations, the environment might be too volatile for the coating to dry before blistering occurs. With a regular paint or primer, the applicator would have to try and paint over the damage or simply start again. A self-healing paint can still recover in this situation–as soon as the conditions return to a point where the coating fully dries, the paint recovers fully without the need for reapplication.
Gellner Industrial has a self-healing polymer that we’ve recently developed and are planning to put into production later this year. The polymer is designed for use in formulating a self-healing paint or primer, and is currently in testing.
About Gellner Industrial
Gellner Industrial LLC is the premiere manufacturer of water-based acrylic polymers across the many sectors of the coatings industry. If you’re interested in any of our products, head over to our website to learn more.
