Attributing the crosslinking density to water vapor transmission rate of an acrylic-melamine automotive clearcoat

In this study, the effect of crosslinking density of an acrylic-melamine clearcoat on water vapor transmission rate was evaluated. Four types of acrylic resins with different OH contents were used as the main polymeric backbone of the acrylic-melamine clearcoat. Also, three different acrylics to melamine–formaldehyde ratios were used in the coating formulations to obtain various crosslinking densities. It was observed that other film properties such as surface hydrophilicity and molecular homogeneity had a crucial impact on the clearcoat water vapor transmission rate together with the crosslinking density. Surprisingly, results showed that samples with acrylic resin with less OH content and lower melamine–formaldehyde crosslinker had the lowest water vapor transmission rate among other samples. These results were in agreement with the water contact angle and the data deduced from dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) results of clearcoats.