Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 16, 2025
10:27
The Evolution of Silica Nanoparticle-polyester Coatings on Surfaces Exposed to Sunlight
Published on: October 11, 2016
9.7K
Epoxy Resin-Encapsulated Polymer Microparticles for Room-Temperature Cold Sprayable Coatings
Mengfei Huang1, Yuan Liu1, Zahra Khalkhali2
1Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|October 14, 2021
Summary
We developed novel epoxy-encapsulated microparticles for efficient room-temperature cold spray. These particles, with a soft core and polyurea shell, achieved a 56% deposition efficiency, enabling smooth, coalesced coatings.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Surface Engineering
Background:
- Cold spray processing offers advantages for material deposition but often requires elevated temperatures.
- Developing room-temperature cold sprayable materials is crucial for energy efficiency and substrate compatibility.
- Microparticle engineering provides a pathway to tailor material properties for specific processing techniques.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and synthesize epoxy-encapsulated microparticles for high-efficiency, room-temperature cold spray.
- To investigate the influence of core composition and particle size on cold spray performance.
- To demonstrate the formation of high-quality coatings using the synthesized microparticles.
Main Methods:
- Suspension polymerization was employed to create core-shell microparticles with diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) resin cores and polyurea shells.
- Particle size was controlled by varying surfactant concentration during synthesis.
- Composition, morphology, and thermal behavior were characterized.
- Cold spray deposition efficiency was evaluated.
Main Results:
- Microparticle synthesis via suspension polymerization was successful, yielding core-shell structures.
- Particle size was inversely related to deposition efficiency.
- Microparticles with a pure DGEBA resin core exhibited lower viscosity, reduced critical impact velocity for adhesion, and superior flowability.
- A maximum deposition efficiency of 56% was achieved with the optimized microparticles.
- Homogeneous, smooth, and fully coalesced coatings were formed using room-temperature cold spray.
Conclusions:
- Epoxy-encapsulated microparticles with polyurea shells are effective for room-temperature cold spray.
- Optimizing core composition and particle size significantly enhances deposition efficiency.
- The developed microparticles enable the fabrication of high-quality coatings without heating.
