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Waterborne 3-wet paint systems have been developed to reduce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and CO2 on vehicle painting lines. However, only a small number of vehicles have adopted this system due to limitations in appearance quality (smoothness and gloss). Therefore, a waterborne 3-wet paint system with appearance quality equivalent to a conventional 3-coat 2-bake (3C2B) paint system is under development. This paper describes research for improving appearance quality. After analyzing the unevenness surface formation mechanism of a paint film, this was achieved by adopting base resins with a low glass transition point (Tg) to promote leveling, and reducing the melamine content of the paint to minimize contraction during baking.

Automotive pigments consist of absorptive materials which absorb most of the wavelengths of light in the visible range (400-800 nm) except one particular range which gets reflected and seen as color. This coloring mechanism based on light absorption due to their molecular structure generally reflects a broader range of wavelength with a moderate reflectivity (50-60%). However in nature we find many magnificent colors in insects, butterflies, birds and fishes. These colors in nature are not based on the abortive pigments, but on the nanoscopic regular structures that interfere light reflected from those periodic sites. Since animals contain no solid metals, to produce metallic-like reflections they also rely on interference of light.[1] Most common and well-known form of animal reflector is the multilayer type where alternating high and low refractive index layers are formed. Such nanostructure assembly can reflect light up to 100%.

Colloidal crystalline arrays are three dimensionally periodic lattices of self-assembled monodisperse colloidal spheres. We have demonstrated the synthesis of silica or polystyrene spheres uniformly coated with titania nanosheets and the fabrication of these spheres into close-packed colloidal crystalline arrays. The Bragg diffraction peak of the colloidal crystalline array shifted to longer wavelengths with increasing thickness of titania nanosheets layers. Angle-resolved reflection spectra measurements showed that this red shift was caused by increasing the mean effective refractive index neff of this crystalline lattice without changing interplanar spacing d111 with increasing thickness of titania nanosheets layers.

Currently, to achieve the desired design in automotive paint, absorption pigments, such as organic pigments, are used in combination with brilliant pigments (ex. aluminum or mica etc.). However, many beautiful colors exist in the world, especially in the natural world. Until now, automotive paints have not been able to replicate those colors. In this project, by first analyzing the coloring principles of the natural world, we have focused on the development of a previously non-existent coloring technology (structural color). By combining this with nanostructure control technology, we have established a radically new coloring process enabling the design of hues, chromaticity and reflection intensity. This technology has tangible results, as new pigments are available for paint formulations.