A paint removal concept with side-chain liquid crystalline polymers as primer material

Abstract A new paint removal concept is introduced making use of a polymer primer layer with a sharp softening temperature. For this, a new class of side-chain liquid crystalline polymers with polar moieties in the backbone has been developed and studied in thin films. These polymers form lamellar-ordered mesophases and contain adhesion-enhancing moieties, which can provide protection against corrosion. Furthermore, the polymers possess phase transitions which are accompanied by drastic changes in the mechanical properties. When the viscosity of a primer film abruptly drops it will start to flow which makes it possible to remove the coating layer as an intact film, simply by pulling the coating off the primer layer. Since the various synthesised polymers all possess different transition temperatures, we can choose the most convenient polymer on the basis of the desired temperature dependence.