Jacob Shevrin
Applied Technology Manager
Evonik Corporation
Jacob Shevrin joined Evonik’s Functional Silanes business line as an Applied Technology Scientist in May of 2017. Since then, his research has focused on silanes for coatings and metal treatment applications. Prior to joining Evonik, Jacob obtained an undergraduate degree in Physics from The Pennsylvania State University, and a masters degree in Materials Science & Engineering from UPenn.
Novel Hydrolytically Stable Silane Additives for Improving the Performance of Waterborne Acrylic Roof Coatings
As global environmental regulations continue to tighten restrictions on VOC-containing coatings, the need for hydrolytically stable additives in waterborne coatings has never been greater. Organofunctional alkoxysilanes are a class of widely used additives in the coatings industry, as they act as adhesion promoters between organic coatings and inorganic substrates. Given the high moisture sensitivity of organofunctional alkoxysilanes, most silane additives rapidly undergo condensation in waterborne coatings, leading to unworkable viscosities and gelling of the waterborne coatings within the first few weeks or months on the shelf. This has posed a significant barrier to using silane additives in waterborne coatings. In this new work, we demonstrate the improved properties of waterborne acrylic roof coatings with a novel epoxy-functional oligomeric silane additive that is stable over time. Several properties will be investigated, including stability, adhesion properties to roofing membranes, ponding water resistance, dirt pick-up resistance, tensile strength, flexibility and UV weathering resistance. These new findings demonstrate significant progress in overcoming the biggest obstacle for the use of silane additives in waterborne roof coatings. Coatings manufacturers that previously could not use silane adhesion promoters in waterborne systems due to stability issues can now explore this technology with a significantly increased probability of success.