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Features & Benefits

Introduction

LUMIFLON^® Topcoat

Life Cycle Cost

Test Samples

LUMIFLON^® vs. PVdf

 

 

What are Lumiflon® resins?

LUMIFLON^® was developed and commercialized in 1982 by Asahi Glass as the first solvent-soluble fluoropolymer for coatings that can be cured at room temperature conditions. This makes LUMIFLON^® suitable for use in both field applied and shop applied coatings. Over the next 25 years, fluoropolymer coatings based on LUMIFLON^® have been produced by many coating manufactures worldwide. LUMIFLON^® based coatings maintain gloss and color when applied to buildings, bridges, water towers, aircraft, automobiles, and other structures for well over 20 years. They also protect steel, aluminum, fiberglass, concrete, and other materials of construction from corrision, sunshine, wind, and rain. The use of LUMIFLON^® resins can substantially reduce life cycle costs, including maintenance cost, replacement cost, and recoating costs. LUMIFLON^® resins are available in conventional solvent grades. Newly developed water based resins and solid resins allow for the production of low VOC and HAPS free environmentally friendly coatings.

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Chemical Structure of LUMIFLON^® Resins

LUMIFLON^® resins consist of alternating segments of fluoroethylene and vinyl ether, or FEVE. This regularly alternating structure, combined with the chemical stability of the carbon-fluorine bond is responsible for LUMIFLON's^® durability, weatherability, and corrosion resistance. The fluorinated segments protect the vinyl ether segments from degradation by UV light and chemicals, while the vinyl ether segments impart solubility, gloss, pigment compatibility, adhesion, and reactivity.

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Features & Benefits

Feature	Benefit
Fluoropolymer Segments	Outstanding weatherability, chemical resistance, corrosion resistance
Alkyl Vinyl Ether Segments	Solubility in common solvents, transparency, high gloss, good adhesion, flexibility, coating hardness
Hydroxy Vinyl Ether Segments	Curable at room temperature for field application and elevated temperatures, standard urethane chemistry
Carboxy Vinyl Ether Segments	Excellent compatibility with wide range of pigments and colors

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Weatherability of LUMIFLON^® Coatings

Due to the chemical nature of the carbon-fluorine bonds found in LUMIFLON^® resins, and the regularly alternating FEVE structure, LUMIFLON^® offers weatherability far exceeding that available with competitive resins. In both accelerated weathering and natural weathering tests, LUMIFLON^® resins yields better color and gloss retention compared to acrylic and polyester urethanes, Kynar® PVDF resins, and siloxanes.

Weathering of FEVE Coating-South Florida Exposure Test

Weathering of FEVE Coatings-EMMAQUA Testing

Weatherability of FEVE Coatings

QUV-A Test Results

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Chemical Resistance of LUMIFLON^® Coatings

The fluoropolymer segments of LUMIFLON^® resins also impart excellent chemical resistance. Shown below are photographs of a LUMIFLON^® based coating and an acrylic coating after exposure to sulfuric acid in an accelerated test. Note that the LUMIFLON^® coating is unaffected by exposure to the acid, while the acrylic urethane is porous, and swollen, indicating attack by the acid.

LUMIFLON^® resins also impart corrosion resistance to coatings. They do so by reducing the transmission of corrosion initiators like water, oxygen, and chloride. This is due to the extreme weatherability of LUMIFLON^® resins. The photographs below show a LUMIFLON^® based coating on steel panels after 16 years of exposure on a platform in Sugura Bay in Japan. These are severe conditions in a humid marine environment.

This figure shows a photograph of the coating system applied on the steel coupon. From the left, the layers are the LUMIFLON^® topcoat, epoxy mid-coat, zinc rich primer, and the steel substrate. Note that the LUMIFLON^® topcoat is whole, without pinholes or damage that would allow penetration of corrosion intiators.

This figure shows the electron Dispersive x-ray scan (EDX) of the coating system. The blue at the left is chloride ion on the surface of the LUMIFLON^® coating. The green is the epoxy and the red is the metal substrate. Note that no chloride can be seen on the surface of the steel. This means that corrosion has not been initiated, even after 16 years.

This photograph shows the zinc rich primer. The right side shows the initial appearance of the primer, prior to 16 years of exposure on the platform, while the left side shows the zinc rich primer after exposure. Note that the zinc retains its globular appearance, indicating that corrosion of the primer has not occurred.

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