High-Resolution Xps Study Of Crosslinking And Segregration Phenomena In Hexamethoxymethyl Melamine-Polyester Resins

Thermally initiated reactions that occur between a polyester resin and a hexamethoxymethyl melamine crosslinker, together with the segregation phenomenon of minor components such as flow agents, have been investigated by high-resolution XPS. High-resolution monochromated XPS C 1s spectra can be peak-fitted by taking into account all functionalities of the respective components of the formulation. Uncured and cured coatings based on a mixture of hexamethoxymethyl melamine and a polyester resin exhibit minor differences in terms of surface composition and in the high-resolution C 1s peak fitting. Examination of both the elemental and chemical surface compositions clearly demonstrates that the use of flow agents in the formulation leads to their preferential segregation towards the air/film interface. Copyright (C) 2002 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.