As consumer demand for sustainable building solutions increases, developing materials and technologies that help enable sustainable materials to cool roofs and buildings, create less waste, and improve air quality are becoming more and more important to reducing the overall environmental impact of cities.
Arkema developed its Kynar Aquatec® Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) latex-based coatings for building applications that can significantly reduce the surface temperature of coated roofs, walls, and other coated building exteriors. These coatings have a low VOC, and are a water-based alternative to traditional, solvent-based PVDF coatings.
When applied to various surfaces, including metals, plastics, wood, concrete, textiles, and previously painted surfaces, a properly formulated Kynar Aquatec® PVDF latex-based coating can significantly reduce the surface temperature by reflecting the sun’s rays.
For example, on roofs, it has been shown to reduce the roof’s surface temperature by as much as 50°F, and interior temperatures by 6-9°F, which translates into reducing cooling costs by as much as 30 percent. Kynar® Aquatec resins are resistant to degradation, which ultimately has a positive impact on air quality and waste management.
According to Arkema, these coatings can last 300 to 400 percent longer than traditional cool roof chemistries and enable a 90 percent reduction in a building’s lifetime VOC emissions, resulting in a structure that can remain cool for substantially longer time periods without the need for regular maintenance or recoating.
Painting roofs white is a common practice to help with the UV absorption, but conventional paints tend to lose their reflectivity as dirt, micro-fungi, and other contaminants appear on the surface over time. When applied as a topcoat to roofs and facades of buildings, Kynar Aquatec® PVDF provides protection for the whiteness and reflectivity of paints for up to 20 years, according to Arkema.
One real-world example of how Kynar Aquatec® PVDF coatings are being used is in Northern Colorado at the Great Stupa, a Buddhist monument that is painted with Kynar Aquatec® PVDF paint. Last year, Arkema was awarded the “Solar Impulse Efficient Solution” label for its high efficiency in durable cool roof solutions.
