Yassine Nagazi, Giovanni Brambilla, Gérard Meunier
Formulaction, 3-5 Rue Paule Raymondis – 31200 Toulouse- France
Corresponding author: yassine.nagazi@formulaction.com

The characterization of the microscopic dynamics of functional films & coatings is a very important step in every new development or quality control.

We use a dynamic light scattering technique to investigate the microstructure evolution (evaporation, packing, coalescence…) of a large panoply of materials at constant or increasing temperature (RT-250°C) and with humidity control. This technology allows to compare different formulation and to detect the characteristic steps (Drying/curing time, phase transition…) with a very handy sampling protocol on any substrate and a very high sensitivity.

We will present a new in-situ, non-invasive and handy method to better understand your different materials, allowing to:

– Monitor and know precisely the drying and curing kinetics

– Determine the characteristic times of the film forming process

– Analyse from room temperature up to 250°C with humidity control

– Evaluate the impact of the formulation and time and temperature parameters on the formation of materials

– Optimize the manufacturing protocol

Figure 1: (left) Typical drying kinetics & identification of the characteristic steps/times, (right) Microscopic dynamics of polymer film vs temperature