A polyurethane coating is a polyurethane layer applied to the surface of a substrate to protect it. These coatings help protect substrates from various forms of defects like corrosion, weathering, abrasion, and other deteriorating processes. Several materials have recently been used for the development of concrete properties. Microsilica is a wonderful mixture for concrete because it leads to better engineering properties. It decreases thermal cracking, improves durability, and increases strength.
Uses of Micro Silica Powder-
- In polymeric coatings, the utilization of nano-silica is more towards upgrading the amount of resistance to wear and friction.
- Owing to its extreme fineness and high silica content, Micro silica is a very effective pozzolanic material.
- Microsilica when added to Cement Concrete enhances its properties, specifically its compressive strength, bond strength, and abrasion resistance.
- Nano-silica significantly improves adhesive strength. They highly increase the micro-hardness as well as the erosion resistance of the coatings.
Polymer-based coatings are widely employed in a variety of applications so as to guard the surface underneath against impact, scratch, wear, corrosion, and weathering conditions . one of the most common coatings used as protection against these properties is the Polyurethane coating. Micro silica products have very high purity leading to highly consistent physical properties and particle size distributions. Their complete inertness and neutral pH, make these products ineffective of altering or initiating reactions when incorporated in catalyzed or multi-component chemical systems.
Silica powder as a filler is often used polyurethane Coating-
- The presence of nanoparticle within the surface layer of the film enhances the scratch hardness and hence protects both the coating film and substrate against marring, cracking, wear and mild abrasions.
- The addition of small amounts of silica powder can improve the friction-reduction and antiwear abilities of the phenolic coating.
- Micro silica as a filler is superior to other coatings in terms of the ability to decrease the friction coefficient and wear rate of the phenolic coating.
The want for understanding the tribological behavior of polymers substrate and polymer base coating materials becomes important. The polymer matrix composites are subjected to abrasive wear in many applications especially the plowing effect from counterface hard asperities during coal handling, and therefore the mining process has resulted in material removal and groves. the effect of polyurethane coating is embedded with nano-silica to the wear and friction resistance of polypropylene substrate. Silica powder is widely referred to as one of the most interesting characteristics to be enhanced for organic coatings. The coating application process is also a critical step, especially after adding the nanoparticles. For powder coatings, the charge of the powders could also be affected due to the nano additions."Enhanced production properties are gained by using polyurethane dispersions in coatings as they provide increased durability, abrasion-resistance, scrubability and other strengthening properties to the coatings”
