In this section, Traquisa, intends to make a little history of how it has evolved over the years, the conservation and beautification of wood.

 

Before Christ

At the beginning, the most important was the preservation of personal objects of daily use. The Chinese lacquer was developed, as coating to preserve them, being an art and a technique at the same time, that lasts until today.

Introduction of Chinese lacquer in Europe

From the eighteenth century was introduced in Europe, especially for the decoration of furniture and marquetry. Over the years, new products were developed, such as long chain fatty acids oils: linseed, Tung, castor oil, etc., that mixing between them, we can get a better coating: as teak oil wood to preserve outdoor wood…

Development of new coatings: 1850 Nitrocellulose

In 1845, german Christian Schönbein discovered the nitrocellulose, that making different combinations, we could obtain very good results in coatings, for their hardness and water resistance.

Later, new applications were discovered. About 1865 appeared Celluloid was the trade name mixing nitrocellulose and camphor (plasticizer, with a flash point of 66 ° C), who became famous as negative film, being very flexible, transparent and resistant to moisture, but highly flammable.

From the twentieth century were developed improvements in the composition of the nitrocellulose, depending on amount of nitro, solvent type, plasticizer, and later by admixture with resins, favoring its application in the interiors, through brush or spray.

In 1920, the DuPont Company and Ford Motor, developed a nitrocellulose car. This new application brought something very important for automotive industry: the color, because the cars were all black. Now you could choose what color you wanted for your Ford. The marketing was born.

Development of synthetic polymers: Polyurethanes

In 1937, Otto Bayer synthesized polyurethane by the condensation polymerization reaction between polyols and diisocyanate. There are two types according with their behavior versus temperature: thermoplastic or thermosetting, for the coating sector must be thermoplastic and high-density 150 to 1200 kg / m.3.

Polyurethanes gets hard layers and resistant to inclement weather. The development has been great over the years. Today, there are companies that do polyurethanes tailor made, depending on application and conditions to maintain.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Linseed, castor, rapeseed and soybean oil have been known since antiquity, and over the years their knowledge and applications have almost been completed.

Thus, they have gone through different stages: as food products (seeds), medicinal / cosmetic (pressed oil), soaps base (for being triglycerides), drying oil for coatings (for being triglycerides with double bonds) or manufacture of polyurethanes (due to the OH group).

With reference to plasticizers, in 1930, B.F. Goodrich discovered that PVC absorbs a product that calls it a plasticizer and that when processed becomes flexible PVC. That plasticizer was Dioctyl Phthalate. From then on, other plasticizers were developed, with a molecular weight over 300 and with a large spatial volume, which allows it to act as a kind of mattress between the PVC molecules, giving flexibility.

PVC is a thermoplastic polymer, what  indicates that it can be molded reversibly, without losing its chemical, physical and mechanical properties.

This is how the phthalates family came about: DOP, DINP, DIBP, DBP, DIHP, etc. The most used for its good value for money, but not for its good permanence over time.

Family of esters, such as:

  • Adipates: DOA and DIDA, mono-constituent substances, used as plasticizers in PVC, synthetic rubbers in the leather industry and for finishing with nitrocellulose, glossy plastic and waterproofing or in the lubricants sector for their properties at low temperatures in different applications or sectors where it applies.
  • Trimellitates: Trimellitates, given their characteristics of dielectric resistivity and temperature range that can support, are highly appreciated, in electrical cables for automotive, household appliances, IT and telecommunications. They also find application in the automotive sector for interior coatings for their antifogging properties. TMC8-C10, TMO TMC9, TMC10 are the products that complete this group. Finally, in the lubricants sector for its hydrolytic properties.
  • Citrates and other diesters such as DOM and DOS: These are called monomeric plasticizers. They can be considered as specific plasticizers, since they are adapted, depending on the formulation depending on the concrete application in PVC, synthetic rubbers or in the lubricant sector.

Family of the epoxidized. Epoxidized Soybean Oil, Epoxidized Linseed Oil and Epoxiesters (PL-401), secondary plasticizers, of vegetable origin, are appreciate as inhibitors of thermal degradation due to light and heat that causes acid hydrolysis generated in situ. They can also be called supplementary plasticizers.

Family of Polyesters, Adilens called polymeric or permanent plasticizers due to their high resistance to volatility, extraction and migration in the formulations in which they are incorporated.

Family of lubricants: Monoesters such as Permavis -T, which excel for its effectiveness as  lubricant and general fluidizer for PVC and synthetic rubber processes, or the Viscostatic E-20, which finds application as an internal lubricant for general use in PVC. Both, likewise, are suitable for the lubricant sector as friction modifiers or in hydraulic fluids with very good biodegradable properties.

Also, the glycerin esters, such as the Glycerin Trioleate (TOG), which is a liquid lubricant of mostly internal action without almost losses throughout the process in rigid and flexible PVC with antistatic and anti fogging properties. It has application, likewise, like modifier of anticorrosive friction between metallic surfaces, in systems of transmission or mechanics in the sector of lubricants.

The Mono oleate of Glycerin (Meister L-2), also with anti-static and anti-fogging properties, which can be used in rigid and flexible PVC processes, and, in general, in those plastic surfaces to which one is wanted to provide an appearance of crystal clear. It can also be applied in the lubricant sector as a friction modifier on metal surfaces due to its anti-corrosive properties.

The research would be to develop the “optimal mix of plasticizers” for each application in particular, to control the different variables that interest us: volatility, migration, extraction, flexibility at different temperatures, viscosity, resistance to moisture or electrical properties, among others

o   Traquisa and the university

From its outset, TRAQUISA has maintained a very cordial relationship with the university, since it is the way to stay up to date on research in the optimization of current plasticizers versus application.