ARS | Publication request: Effects of Antioxidants on Polymeric Coatings for a Fibrous Collagen Material: Leather

Submitted to: Proceedings of American Chemical Society National Meeting
Publication Type: Proceedings/Symposium
Publication Acceptance Date: May 14, 2008
Publication Date: August 1, 2008
Citation: Liu, C., Latona, N.P., Cooke, P.H. 2008. Effects of Antioxidants on Polymeric Coatings for a Fibrous Collagen Material: Leather. Proceedings of American Chemical Society, Division of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering. PMSE Preprints. 99:29-30.

Technical Abstract: One of our research endeavors has focused on an environmentally friendly finishing process that will improve the UV and heat resistance of chrome-free leather. Experiments were conducted by adding 1 to 5% alpha-tocopherol and mixed-tocopherol to the grain layer finishes (polymeric topcoat) of chrome-free leather. Tests showed that samples treated with alpha-tocopherol or mixed-tocopherol yielded a significant improvement in color fading resistance against UV radiation and heat. We designed a cyclic tensile test to measure the hysteresis and gain insights into the structural difference between the control (untreated) leather and tocopherol-treated leather. Observations revealed that untreated leather has a relatively higher hysteresis than treated leather. This indicates that the treated leather structure is more stable than untreated leather toward UV radiation. In summary, this study has demonstrated that alpha-tocopherol and mixed-tocopherol added to the topcoat increased the protective function and resulted in a softer leather.