Surface modification of aluminium with reactive microgels

The adsorption and organisation process of reactive microgels has been inve stigated on technical aluminium. The aim was to replace the present chromat ing procedure on reactive metals like aluminium because this process was be en considered as an ecological problem. By means of a two-step emulsion pol ymerization with phosphate substituted monomer we have obtained polymeric n ano-particles with phosphate groups on the surface. The core is synthesized by copolymerization from styrene (St) and butyl acrylate (BuA). The results of several analytical methods like contact angle SEM or TEM mea surements showed, that these microgels were able to adsorb spontaneously on to the substrate surface and subsequently a structured molecular order was formed. The properties of the adsorbed microgel layers were confirmed by in dustrial linked adhesion and corrosion tests.