Analysis on Automotive

Paints and Coatings

Maria Victoria Chill S. Calumpiano
ChE-3
 Evolution of the Automotive Body Coating Process—A Review

Automotive coatings and the processes used to coat automobile

surfaces exemplify the avant-garde of technologies that are capable
of producing durable surfaces, exceeding customers’ expectations of
appearance, maximizing efficiency, and meeting environmental
regulations. These accomplishments are rooted in 100 years of
experience, trial-and-error approaches, technique and technology
advancements, and theoretical assessments.
 Because of advancements directed at understanding the how,
why, when, and where of automobile coatings, the progress in
controlling droplets and their deposition attributes, and the
development of new technologies and paint chemistries, a
comprehensive and up-to-date review of automobile coatings and
coating technologies was considered to be of value to industrial
practitioners and researchers. Overall, the critical performance
factors driving the development and use of advanced automotive
coatings and coating technologies are (a) aesthetic characteristics;
(b) corrosion protection; (c) mass production; (d) cost and
environmental requirements; and (e) appearance and durability.
 Automotive Coatings Formulation

The automotive coating processes contribute significantly to the

environmental burden compared to other stages of vehicle
manufacturing. Efforts are being made to reduce this impact through
legislation, resulting in the introduction of new coating formulations
and application technologies. Water‐borne, powder and UV‐cured
coatings are seen as alternatives to solvent‐borne coatings.
 Automotive Coatings on Water Repellency

The last ensemble of questions concerns the practical use of water

repellent surfaces. Potentially, the list of applications is impressive:
waterproofing of clothes, concrete or paints, anti-rain windshields
and window panes, materials of very low friction in water (boat or
swimsuits coatings, plastics for microfluidics), etc. The list is even
larger when considering the so-called “self-cleaning” properties
attributed to these materials.
 This (today) prevents the use of these materials for paints and
other long-term coatings, and rather suggests temporary applications
(such as cheap microfluidics devices which can be changed after a
few weeks). It also suggests that other solutions might be imagined:
for example, considering the issue of contamination as incurable, we
could think of treatments making a surface temporarily super-
hydrophobic (in the spirit of silicon-based oils which are spread on
windshields to improve the mobility of rain drops).
 Progress in Super-hydrophobic surface Development

Some super-hydrophobic surfaces can cause water and even oils

to roll off leaving little or no residue and carry away any resting
surface contamination. With more and more researchers becoming
interested in this field there are a greater number of methods
reported to produce such surfaces, using simpler and cheaper means
to achieve high water-contact angles (WCAs) and low hysteresis
(causing roll-off).
 Forensic Analysis of Automotive Paints by Raman Spectroscopy

The possible contribution of Raman spectroscopy in forensic

science is evaluated, more specifically for the analysis of automotive
paint samples. Spectra from paint flakes as well as from cross
sections were examined, in order to identify not only the pigments
but also binders and extenders in all paint layers. Moreover, the
possibility of distinguishing paint samples from different cars was
evaluated to assess the use of vibrational spectroscopic techniques in
the investigation of a hit-and-run accident.
 References:
• Chaudhery Mustansar Hussain, Deepak Rawtani, Gaurav Pandey, Maithri Tharmavaram, Forensic
sampling and sample preparation techniques, Handbook of Analytical Techniques for Forensic
Samples, 10.1016/B978-0-12-822300-0.00002-1, (17-35), (2021).
• Akafuah, Nelson K., Sadegh Poozesh, Ahmad Salaimeh, Gabriela Patrick, Kevin Lawler, and
Kozo Saito. 2016. "Evolution of the Automotive Body Coating Process—A Review" Coatings 6,
no. 2: 24. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings6020024
• Automotive paints and coatings / ed. by Gordon Fettis. - Weinheim ; New York ; Basel ;
Cambridge ; Tokyo : VCH, 1995
• C. Neinhuis and W. Barthlott, Ann. Botany, 1997, 79, 667–677
• R. Blossey, Nature Mater., 2003, 2, 301–306
• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/224044912_Progess_in_Superhydrophobic_Surface_De
velopment