The Effects of Overbaking Organic Coatings

Organic Compound Fundamentals

• In chemistry, the term "organic" is used to describe any compound that contains carbon in its chemical formula. There are millions of organic carbon-based compounds that either occur naturally or have been created in laboratories. They are used in nutrition, fuels, materials and paint for a wide variety of purposes. A common means of applying a coating of organic material to an inorganic material is to bake the organic compound onto the inorganic substrate.

Overbaking Organic Compounds

• Overbaking refers to the process of exposing an organic compound to a higher temperature than desirable for its proper deposition on the chosen substrate. The more heat that is applied to an organic compound the more likely it is to liquefy fully or vaporize. Even if these extreme phase changes do not occur, the arrangement of molecules within the coating will be affected by different temperatures. This alters the mechanical or aesthetic properties of the finished product.

Mechanical Problems with Overbaking

• Overbaking organic compounds can result in unwanted side reactions between various molecules within the complex organic material or simple rearrangements between adjacent carbon compounds within the organic matrix. Such rearrangements alter the intermolecular forces acting between molecules, which gives rise to fundamentally different mechanical properties. The finished product may be more brittle than necessary or less malleable. In lubricating applications of organic coatings, overbaking can reduce the ability of molecules to slide past one another, hindering the lubricating process.

Visual and Aesthetic Consequences of Overbaking

• Many people are familiar with the consequences of baking sweets at too high of temperatures or for too long, and the same consequences are present if organic compounds are overbaked during industrial processes. Paint is largely composed of organic compounds that govern its ability to evenly spread and adhere to the surface being painted. Overbaking can cause the paint to flake more easily or fail to adhere, making the final painted product less visually appealing.