Multiscale analysis of pigment effects on weathering of polyester coatings: from nanoscale chemistry to macroscale performance

Abstract Almost all organic coatings used for corrosion protection contain various types of pigmentation, both for the sake of aesthetics and performance. By focusing on spatially resolved vibrational spectroscopy and electron microscopy, we demonstrate that the type of pigmentation has a fundamental effect on both localized and global degradation processes across the investigated coatings. Samples with white TiO 2 pigments display low macroscale chemical degradation across the surface but do experience a significant change in topography. SEM-EDS imaging shows that µm-scale craters are formed around the TiO 2 pigments. Nanoscale spatially resolved IR spectroscopy (AFM-IR) suggests that this local erosion is not triggered by reactions seen in coatings with other types of pigments. However, FTIR-ATR chemical imaging of coating cross sections confirmed that the TiO 2 pigments also protects material beneath the surface, resulting in very shallow chemical degradation effects as compared to the other systems. Darker coatings, containing carbon black, experience moderate to high chemical degradation across the surface, and additionally the degradation propagates deep into the coatings. Overall, this paper highlights that single criteria should not be used when comparing the degradation of different coatings.