Coatings World - May 2010

or academic partners; 3) lead times for expanding development throughout processes or products improved with succeeding developments; and 4) cost was the primary motivating factor with environmental improvements a secondary concern.1 Although biotechnology is currently a major contributor to many clean industrial products and processes as illustrated in Table 1, its potential in the paint and coatings industry is far from realized.

Reactive Surfaces has established the incredible potential that bioactive compounds present for creating new modes of functionality and thus increasing the value proposition for paints and coatings to both consumers and industrial users. The company possesses the ability to evaluate these natural materials with regard to their potential viability in a coatings environment and thus is able to build a robust portfolio of targeted, highly functional bioengineered additives. Access to and understanding of state-of-the-art genetic engineering technologies is a key component of the company’s product development program. Knowledge of various coating formulations and their desired characteristics as well as production processes and application techniques is also a fundamental aspect of the company’s R&D efforts.

Since its inception, Reactive Surfaces has organized its operations to ensure this combination of capabilities. Our scientific team is comprised of internationally recognized experts in molecular biology as well as biochemistry, polymer science and coatings formulation. An advisory committee comprised of business and industry leaders provides further guidance on commercialization of novel technologies. An extensive network of external experts in biotechnology (Texas A&M University), fermentation engineering (University of Georgia, Athens) and polymer chemistry and coatings science (University of Southern Mississippi) provide additional evaluation support.

In this third article on bioengineered additives, we out-
line the strategy followed at Reactive Surfaces to identify
and develop effective biobased additives that provide func-
tionality that will enable paint and coating formulations to
meet unmet market needs. By way of example as to how we
would approach a new project to deliver a formulation-
ready, biobased additive to your company for functionaliz-
ing your coatings, we outline the sequence of steps that has
led to the successful introduction of our DeGreez additive
for self-cleaning coatings. We have shown that careful
selection of the biocatalyst can lead to bioadditives that
retain activity after incorporation in commercial coatings,
thus providing coatings that exhibit oil-resistance not
through physical properties, but through its biocatalytic
properties.2 We have also shown that the physical and
chemical properties of the polymer are considered critical
and important for optimal efficacy and to meet the activity
demands of the application. 3 This example of an enzyme-
based additive clearly demonstrates the comprehensive
approach necessary to ensure that the resulting additives
are cost effective, high performing and sustainable, and
that they provide unique opportunities for novel formula-
tion development. It is the intent of this product develop-
ment approach to assure formulators that they can make
multiples of present margins on any given product line in
their present markets and facilitate the expansion of their
product lines into presently untapped markets.

Figure 1

The process diagram illustrates the steps which define
the development of biomolecules as additives for the
paints and coatings industry. From lightest to darkest
field, critical assessment must start with selecting the
best biomolecule for the diverse options that nature has
to offer (white field), careful assessment of performance
compatibility with polymer systems in both solution
phase (light grey) and solid phase (dark grey), followed
by cast and cure coating standards (dark field). Each step
can be, and often is, iterative.