Epoxy Coatings LIfetime Prediction by Simulation (ECLIPS) – DUREVE

Epoxy resins used in Building and Civil Engineering are submitted to thermo-oxidative, humid and structural relaxation ageing. The lack of reliable methods for lifetime prediction adapted to those complex in use conditions limits at the moment their use in highly requiring industrial sectors (nuclear plants, waterproofing of subway galleries or building of server storage).

This project aims at developing a non-empirical method for lifetime prediction based on a multiscale study of ageing :
- quantum chemistry based analysis of the weak bonds of the chemical structure, so as to better understand the oxidative ageing of such complex materials
- kinetic analysis of the mechanisms for chemical degradation (oxidation) and physical one (water diffusion, structural relaxation), together with addressing the case of coupling between all those mechanisms (i.e. the way in which one mechanism can interact with another)
- study of ageing consequences on macromolecular mobility
- link with transport and mechanical properties of epoxies and concrete/epoxy assemblies

This research project bases on the consequences of consortium featuring
- 4 academic partners skilled in quantum chemistry, study of ageing mechanisms and kinetics, study of mobility in amorphous polymers, mechanics of concrete/polymers assemblies
- one industrial partners working in the field of epoxy resin synthesis, and oneend user (involved through two affiliates) in the field of building, and civil engineering.

Materials under study will range from industrial systems used at the moment, their biosourced analogues possibility used in the future, together with model systems aimed at a better understanding of structure-properties relationships.

The data obtained in this project will be used to establish a kinetic model for lifetime prediction allowing the prediction of degradation in time and space (i.e. in the case of diffusion limited degradation) to be directly used by industrial partners. They will also allow getting news insights between epoxy structure, and their short and long term properties.