Toagosei Annual R&D Report “TREND” – Issue No. 6

ARUFON UFO Polymers are low-molecular-weight acrylic polymers and acrylic oligomers produced by high-temperature continuous bulk polymerization. The process uses almost no polymerization solvent, initiator, or chain-transfer agent, creating solvent-free and high-solids options with low odor, low impurity, narrow molecular weight distribution (narrow MWD), and controlled copolymer composition. These features support the design of weather-resistant acrylic polymers, liquid acrylic oligomer applications, and VOC-reduction polymer additive concepts for coatings, adhesives, sealants, and resin modification.

UFO grades can serve as an acrylic base resin for coatings; hydroxyl-functional UH grades are base resins for acrylic urethane sealants, while low-viscosity UP grades act as plasticizers or resin modifiers. Sealant formulations showed weather resistance, and the absence of mercaptan-based chain-transfer agents and organic solvents contributes to low odor. The SGO/UFO platform has also been applied to high-solids paints and solid oligomers for powder coating. UFO-derived tackifiers balance adhesive strength and holding power, supporting an acrylic tackifier for adhesives and pressure-sensitive adhesives.

Macromonomers with terminal double bonds, such as UM-9030 and UM-9040, can act as a reactive emulsifier for emulsion polymerization. They graft onto emulsion-particle surfaces, improve emulsion stability, and enable stable fine particles, making them useful as a macromonomer for emulsion stability and for acrylic graft polymer design.

This process has produced laboratory-stage hybrid resins, including PP-acrylic, PE-acrylic, and PBd-acrylic systems. These examples indicate future potential for a PP acrylic graft polymer, PE acrylic graft polymer, butadiene acrylic graft polymer, polyolefin acrylic compatibilizer, and compatibilizer for resin modification. The UFO platform offers tunable low viscosity, functionality, compatibility, weather resistance, and cost-performance across coatings, adhesives, sealants, emulsions, plastics, and powder-coating applications.