United States.
Vijay Mannari, a professor of polymers and coatings at Eastern Michigan University (UEM), has been awarded a $529,000 concession to develop environmentally responsible, high-performance coatings for the U.S. military.
The research program called "Isocyanate-free polyurethane platform for sustainable and advanced rain erosion resistant coatings" is expected to begin during the spring season.
Currently, the Department of Defense uses polyurethane coatings for many of its applications because they are durable and work well. However, polymers use a group of chemical compounds called isocyanates, which are toxic and dangerous to human health and safety. This is why there is great interest around the world, to limit or eliminate the use of isocyanates.
By leveraging alternative chemistry and customizing formulations, Mannari's research will not only develop isocyanate-free polyurethane coatings, but these coatings will also have significantly lower VOCs, and heal in a shorter time compared to coatings currently used in industry.
Mannari joined the Polymers and Coatings Program at UEM in 2002 and has established a rigorous research program focused primarily on environmentally friendly polymeric materials for the development of advanced coatings. It has also received approximately US$2.3 million in external funding in recent years.
