Solving the puzzle of removing coatings on command

How do you make robust, long-lasting coatings that can easily be removed on command? That’s the scientific conundrum facing a new five-year research project supported by AkzoNobel. 

Funded by the Dutch Research Council – which develops innovation programs focused on societal challenges – the aim is to develop coatings capable of switching between at least two states – a robust coating state and a soft, non-adherent recycling state.

“Coatings are normally supposed to last as long as possible, so it might sound a bit strange that we’re looking into developing a coating that can be removed with a trigger,” explains Jitte Flapper, Manager of AkzoNobel’s Expertise Center for Formulation and Analytical Science. 

“Current coating technology is very much focused on the in-use lifetime to ensure industry standard performance, and disregards almost completely end-of-life considerations. What we want to do is bring the industry closer to circularity by developing new solutions for the smart removal of coatings, without compromising performance.” 

Efficient delamination (the removal of a coating) has the potential to increase recycling of coated objects, free up precious substrates, lower the footprint of consumer products and substantially reduce landfilling.But it also poses a head-scratching scientific puzzle. 

That’s because coatings, by their very nature, need to be robust. However, in order to remove a coating in a responsible way – without the need for strong solvents or brute force – it has to be soft, non-adherent and easily removable. It’s these contradictory requirements that lie at the heart of the RESPOND (Recycling Enhanced Smart Programmable ON-Demand coatings) project.

The focus is on cooperation between knowledge institutions, private parties and the Dutch government. The project will involve three post-doctoral researchers and one PhD student, with AkzoNobel supporting the project financially and in kind. 

“This is a very interesting project for AkzoNobel because it directly addresses an important challenge within the coatings industry – how to create coatings that are both durable during use and easy to remove at end-of-life,” says David Williams, AkzoNobel’s Chief Innovation Officer. 

“By bringing together expertise from academia, industry and other partners, we can help accelerate the development of practical, scalable solutions that make coatings more sustainable throughout their entire lifecycle, from application to reuse. By bridging the gap between cutting-edge research and real-world implementation, we’ll make a valuable contribution to achieving the industry’s circular economy goals.” 

RESPOND is one of five new projects around smart materials being funded by the Dutch Research Council, all of which aim to have a positive impact on the economy, people and society.