Introduction to InChem Phenoxy Resins And Compounds

InChem Corp. is the world's leading manufacturer of Phenoxy Resins. Many of our resins have been used to enhance performance in coatings, inks, adhesives, and composites for over 35 years, and new formulations are being developed all the time to meet ever-changing performance standards and market needs.

Our headquarters and ISO 9002 certified facility in Rock Hill, South Carolina service customers worldwide, along with affiliated production facilities in Portugal and South Africa.

Our product range includes more than two dozen forms of Phenoxy Resin and related compounds, including epoxy-phenoxy blends, phenoxy-polyester hybrids, caprolactone-modified phenoxy and epoxy resin solutions. Our high performance resins enhance the properties of coatings, adhesives, inks, composites, fibers, plastics, electronic components and more.

InChem Phenoxy Resins are tough and ductile thermoplastic materials having high cohesive strength and good impact resistance. The backbone ether linkages and pendant hydroxyl groups promote wetting and bonding to polar substrates and fillers. Structurally, Phenoxy Resin is a polyhydroxyether having terminal alpha-glycol groups. Weight-average molecular weights range from approximately 25,000 to above 60,000. The highest polymeric species exceed 250,000 daltons.

Polydispersity is very narrow, typically less than 4.0. An average molecule contains 40 or more regularly spaced hydroxyl groups suitable for crosslinking for thermoset applications. These pendant hydroxyls are excellent sites for crosslinking in thermoset applications at elevated temperatures and even at ambient conditions.

Phenoxy Resins are compatible with many polymers, and they are efficient flexibilizers for crosslinked phenolic and epoxy formulations in adhesives, coatings, and composites. Phenoxy Resins have shown utility in compatibilizing blends of diverse plastic materials. Phenoxy Resin has a solubility parameter of 10.68, enabling excellent compatibility with polar materials and sufaces like polyurethanes, polyesters, and nylons. (Generally, the resin is incompatible with acrylics, olefins, and vinyls).

Phenoxy has excellent vapor barrier properies (water vapor, oxygen, carbon dioxide) and is compliant with 21CFR175.300 for direct and indirect food/beverage container coatings, as well as other regulations pertinent to adhesives used in multilayer packaging and plastic components for containers.

InChem Phenoxy Resins combined with epoxies, polyethers, and polyesters provide user- friendly hybrids for formulation latitude and novel properties.

Modification of the Phenoxy Resin backbone by grafting onto the aliphatic carbon segments generates the family of anionically stabilized waterborne dispersions. These grades of Phenoxy (PKHW-series) allow formulators significant latitude in designing VOC compliant coatings and adhesives. Several are also FDA-compliant for use in packaging and container coatings (direct and indirect food contact). [continued at right]