Film formation and crosslinking of waterborne two-component coatings containing quaternized ammonium groups

A study was done to investigate the crosslinking and film formation of a waterborne twocomponent system consisting of an aqueous epoxy functional dispersion and tertiary amine functional polymer dispersions. Techniques used were Fourier transform infrared, atomic force microscopy, environmental scanning electron microscopy, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Next to covalent crosslinking, it was also demonstrated that the crosslinks, containing quaternized ammonium groups, cluster together to form ``nest-like'' structures in the bulk of the crosslinked film.