J. Coat. Technol. Res.

, 6 (1) 99106, 2009

DOI 10.1007/s11998-008-9114-8

The effect of slip agents on the characteristics and properties

of epoxy-phenolic can coatings
Chao Jiang, Peter Oldring, Laurence Castle,
Paul Cooke, James T. Guthrie

FSCT and OCCA 2008

Abstract The migration issues associated with the
transfer of chemicals from epoxy-based can coatings
into foodstuffs have been studied in recent years. Slip
agents are usually used in can coatings for ease of
manufacture and to provide required physical resistance properties. Slip agents in epoxy-based can
coatings are suspected of not only performing as
lubricants but also having effects on the other properties of coatings, including their migration resistance.
This article contains information relating to the evaluation of the influence of selected slip agents on the
characteristics and properties of specific epoxy-phenolic can coatings. These characteristics and properties
include those thermal properties of the coatings that
relate to curing characteristics, the surface appearance
of cured coating films, the wetting properties that may
be associated with migration issues, and the abrasion
properties of the cured epoxy-phenolic systems. It was
found that three selected slip agents each affected the
properties of the specific epoxy-phenolic can coating
differently. One of three selected slip agents in
particular reduced the interaction (wettability) of
C. Jiang, J. T. Guthrie (&)
Department of Colour Science, University of Leeds,
Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS2 9JT, UK
e-mail: ccdjtg@leeds.ac.uk
P. Oldring
Valspar (UK) Ltd., Station Lane, Witney, Oxon OX28 4XR,
UK
L. Castle
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs,
Central Science Laboratory, Sand Hutton, York YO41 1LZ,
UK
P. Cooke
Valspar Corporation, Industriestrasse 9,
CH 8627 Gruningen, Switzerland

the specific coatings by test fluids and so may help to

reduce chemical migration.
Keywords
Abrasion

Epoxy-phenolic, Slip agent, Wetting,

Introduction
Can coatings are widely used in the production of
metallic food containers. These coatings are used to
protect metal substrates against corrosion and to avoid
contact between the metal and the foodstuffs. Epoxyphenolic can coatings are usually used on tin-plate
substrates, and have been so used and developed since
the 1950s.1,2
As an organic coating, epoxy-phenolic can coatings
are generally produced from reactive thermosetting
resin precursors, namely epoxy resin precursors and
phenolic resin precursors, which are deposited onto a
metal substrate. During curing, the polymer flows to
form a smooth film and, simultaneously, a crosslinking reaction takes place to create a continuous
network.1,2 Therefore, the ability to predict the curing
behavior of such can coatings is of great importance to
the coating applications.
In recent years, migration of epoxy resin components
into food from epoxy-based can coatings including
epoxy-phenolic can coatings has received considerable
attention. The initial concern mainly surrounded organosols and types of epoxy-based can coatings that in
some cases exceeded the specific migration limit (SML)
for bisphenol A-diglycidyl ether (BADGE), current at
the time. This standard has been revised and is the
subject of epoxy regulation (EC) No 1895/2005. The
extent of any migration between the internal can
coating and the food content has been recognized as
being within the recommendations of food contact
legislation.1,3,4

99

J. Coat. Technol. Res., 6 (1) 99106, 2009

Bisphenol A (BPA), also known as 2,2,-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl) propane, is an important monomer that is used in
the manufacture of epoxy resins for can coatings that are
intended to be in contact with foods and beverages.5 In
recent years, there has been increasing public concern
regarding BPA migration into canned food. Low-level
migration of BPA has been studied in canned vegetables,68 in infant formula,9 in canned alcoholic drinks,10
and in canned fish and meat products.7
BADGE, also known as 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)
propane bis(2,3-epoxypropyl) ether, is employed as an
intermediate in the manufacture of epoxy-based can
coatings.4 For over 10 years, published data in several
European countries (UK, Switzerland, Germany, The
Netherlands, Austria, Italy, Denmark) have been
available on BADGE-derivatives and their migration
from can coatings into foods and food simulants across
a range of canned foods.4,8,1017
In order to address these migration issues, several
food contact factors have been addressed. The wetting
resistance of the internal can coating films and the
possibility of the interactions between the internal can
coating films and the food content in the can have been
studied. One hypothesis is that if the food content in
the can does not swell and penetrate the surface of the
coating films, migration into and out of the food
content will be less likely to occur.18,19
Among the factors of relevance to the behavior of
the coating surface are the slip agents in the formulations of the can coatings. These have been modified
with the goal of achieving optimal properties (e.g.,
abrasion and rub resistance, optimal friction).1,2,20,21
There are several theories (including the Bloom
theory, the Ball theory, the Cone theory, and so
on)20 to explain how the slip agents that are present at
the film surface of the can coating might have a
significant influence on the migration resistance and
related properties of the coating film.
Slip agents, both natural and synthetic, are commonly
used in surface coatings to improve surface lubricity and
to impart abrasion or scratch resistance.1,2 These slip
agents are sometimes referred to as internal lubricants
since they are added to the wet coating formulation and
rely on migration to the surface of the coating, on
curing.1,2,4,20,21 Examples include the poly(ethylene)
and polyamide wax types that are usually used in small
amounts to achieve the desired performance characteristics, e.g., lubrication, hardness, and flexibility.2,20,21
This article examines specifically the effects of the
use of three selected slip agents in coating formulations
on several properties of an internal can coating.

Experimental
Materials
A generic model BPA-based epoxy-phenolic formulation and the relevant raw materials (including three

100

slip agents that were used comparatively: a mixture

of carnauba wax and lanolin waxSlip 1; lanolin
waxSlip 2; and a polyamide waxSlip 3) were
provided by the Valspar Corporation (Industriestrasse
9, CH 8627 Gruningen, Switzerland).
The defoamer additive used in the epoxy-phenolic
coating was a naphtha (petroleum), heavy alkylate.
The tin-plate panels (2.8/2.8) were provided by the
Impress Corporation (Impress, Centre de Recherche
de Crosmie`res, BP109, 72206 La Fleche, France).
K bar coaters of No. 1, No. 3, and No. 5 (6, 24, and
50 lm, wet deposit) were provided by R K Print
Instrument Ltd. Litlington, Royston, Herts, SG8 0QZ,
UK.
Preparation of model epoxy-phenolic coatings
(EPH01J, a modified and simplified commercial
can coating)
The solid BPA-based epoxy resin precursor (ERP,
238.0 g) was pre-mixed with solvents of the glycol ether
acetate type (261.0 g), the glycol ether type (136.0 g),
and the ester type (34.0 g) on the roll mill overnight, to
obtain the ERP solution.
Eight containers were prepared and identified.
A total of 67.0 g of the pre-prepared ERP solution
and 21.0 g of the phenolic resin precursor solution
were mixed well using a Heidolph mixer, type RZR1,
for 5 min. Slip 1 (carnauba wax + lanolin wax, 2.5 g),
defoamer (0.1 g) and a solvent of the glycol ether
acetate type (11.0 g) and a solvent of the ester type
(4.0 g) were assembled as a mixture. The dispersion
was then mixed for 10 min and the product was
identified as EPHS1.
The above procedures were repeated with the use of
the different sets of the slip agents, as shown in
Table 1, to provide coatings EPHS2, EPHS3, EPHS12,
EPHS13, EPHS23, EPHS123, and EPHNS, respectively. Here EPH denotes the epoxy-phenolic polymer
system and S denotes that slip agent is present. The
numbers denote which slip combination was used.

Table 1: Different combinations of the slip agents in the

selected epoxy-phenolic can coatings
Coatings

Slip 1 (g)
Carnauba
wax + lanolin wax

Slip 2 (g)
Lanolin
wax

Slip 3 (g)
Polyamide
wax

EPHS1
EPHS2
EPHS3
EPHS12
EPHS13
EPHS23
EPHS123
EPHNS

2.5
0
0
2.5
2.5
0
2.5
0

0
0.5
0
0.5
0
0.5
0.5
0

0
0
0.5
0
0.5
0.5
0.5
0

J. Coat. Technol. Res., 6 (1) 99106, 2009

Preparation of coated, cured tin-plate samples

In a typical situation, blank tin-plates, 13.5 7.8 cm,
were coated. A Werner-Mathis oven (Model
KTF4099), set at 200C, was used for the curing stages
of the study. The temperature profile was checked
using a calibrated thermocouple (Model PICO TC-08
K) at the beginning, middle, and end of the production
process. The wet coating was mixed well before use.
Three tin-plate sheets were marked and coated with
the EPHNS coating, 6 lm wet deposit from K bar
coater No. 1, which is equal to 2.4 lm when dry. The
coated tin-plates were cured in the Werner-Mathis
oven for 10 min. These procedures were repeated for
coatings EPHS1, EPHS2, EPHS3, EPHS12, EPHS13,
EPHS23, and EPHS123, respectively.
The procedures were repeated for thicker coatings,
obtained using K bar coater No. 3 (24 lm wet deposit)
and No. 5 (50 lm wet deposit), respectively, equivalent
to 6.4 and 14.2 lm dry film thicknesses.
Thermal studies
A TGA 2050 thermogravimetric analyzer and a DSC
2010 differential scanning calorimeter were used to
perform thermal evaluations of the formulated epoxyphenolic coatings. The conditions for both the TGA
and the DSC methods were a heating rate of 20C/min,
a temperature range from room temperature to 500C,
and an N2 flow rate of 50 cm3/min.
Surface appearance evaluations
A JEOL JSM-820 scanning electron microscope
(SEM) was used to provide images at high magnifications from the surfaces of the samples. The accelerating
voltage used was in the range 515 kV according to the
required magnification.
Each sample was mounted on a brass stub and was
pretreated by coating with a uniform gold film of
30 nm using a Bio-Rad diode sputter coating unit (BioRad House, Maylands Avenue, Hemel Hempstead,
Hertfordshire, HP2 7TD, UK) before being subjected
to SEM.
Surface contact angle evaluations
In the present study, a contact angle meter (Pearson
Panke Ltd., London), designed for measuring static
contact angles, was used in the assessment of the
surface wetting properties of samples. The objective
was to monitor the effect of the selected slip agents on
the surface wettability of selected coatings.
The data that are acquired from experimentation are
processed according to the Young model21 with respect
to the determination of the critical wetting tension (cc)
of the cured, coated substrates. This technique involves

the plotting of the cosine of the contact angle (h),

observed with drops of known fluids, of known surface
tension (cLV), placed on the coated surface, against the
respective surface tensions. Fluids are chosen on the
basis of the forces that hold their molecules together
(polar, dispersion, hydrogen bonding) so that a range of
interaction types can be considered. Although the
approach usually gives a degree of spread to the cos h
vs cLV relationship, it does provide relevance to
effective experimental situations in which composite
surfaces are being monitored.22
The test liquids with their known surface tension
values: nitromethane (36.9 mN/m), tritolyl phosphate
(40.9 mN/m), poly(ethylene glycol) (44.7 mN/m), and
formamide (58.2 mN/m) were used as test liquids in
surface contact angle evaluations to the samples.
The procedures are as follows. The coated and cured
tin-plates were cut into strips (2.5 7.8 cm). A sessile
drop of each test liquid was applied on the surface of
the strip. Then the surface contact angles of each fluid
on each strip were measured with respect to applying
several drops of test fluid at different locations of the
strip to obtain a representative result for the whole
surface of the strip.
Abrasion studies
A Wallace rubproofness testing unit (Wallace Instruments, Unit 4, St. Georges Ind. Est., Richmond Road,
Kingston, KT2 5BQ, UK) model A7 was employed to
study aspects of the abrasion resistance of the cured
coating systems.
Circles of 11.50 cm in diameter were cut from a
grade 120 abrasion sheet obtained from the 3M
Company (3M United Kingdom PLC, 3M Centre, Cain
Road, Bracknell, RG12 8HT, UK). The circular abrasive sheet was mounted onto the bottom disc. A sample
(2.5 2.5 cm) of coated tin-plate was weighed before
being stuck to the top disc via its uncoated side.
The sample on the top disc, with the coated surface
facing downwards, was lowered until just touching the
abrasive sheet. A known load was applied onto the top
disc.
The bottom disc along with the abrasive sheet was
made to rotate for 10 rotations. After 10 rotations, the
unit was stopped. The coated sample was removed and
weighed. This procedure was repeated after 30, 50, 100,
and 200 rotations.
The abraded material was removed carefully and its
mass was measured. A new circular abrasive sheet was
applied for the testing of each coated sample.

Results and discussions

Thermal studies
Most of the components of a coating formulation will
have a role in affecting the curing/drying processes.

101

J. Coat. Technol. Res., 6 (1) 99106, 2009

The DSC results in Figs. 25 show that in the

temperature range from 100 to 210C the thermally
induced changes are specific, if complex. This is true for
the EPHS1 and EPHS2 systems. For EPHS3 (polyamide wax), the thermal process is less well defined.
During the film network development process, in the
temperature range of 210370C, the mass loss of the
coating slows continuously.
The thermal decomposition process is the fourth
stage of the drying processthe period from 370 to
500C, as shown in Fig. 1. In this period, the weight loss
0.0

0.5

Heat flow (W/g)

Based on this consideration, TGA and DSC analysis

methods were used to study the effect of the slip agents
on thermally induced changes of the coatings that
occurred.
The TGA profiles of EPHNS, EPHS1, EPHS2, and
EPHS3 coatings were considered. It is appropriate to
divide the curing/drying processes into four stages: rapid
solvent(s) evaporation, slow solvent(s) evaporation/film
formation, film network development, and the thermal
decomposition of the formed film. As an example, the
TGA profile of EPHNS coating is presented in Fig. 1.
Four framed areas in Fig. 1 represent four stages of the
curing/drying processes. Thus, the results from the
TGA profiles of EPHNS, EPHS1, EPHS2, and EPHS3
coatings can be described in Table 2.
EPHNS, EPHS1, EPHS2, and EPHS3 have very
similar weight loss profiles (Table 2). A continuous
rate of mass (solvent) loss is seen up to approximately
100C (most volatile solvent). A slower loss in mass
(more bound solvent being removed) and coating film
formation follows up to around 210C. Further film
formation and network development shows up from
210370C. Then, the plateau region is followed by
mass loss due to decomposition, from about 370C.
The structured coating film starts to form between
100 and 210C depending on the formulations used
and on the curing conditions applied, as a second stage
of the drying process, identified in Table 2. During this
stage, the mass loss of the coating is slower.

1.0
160.88C

1.5

2.0
89.30C

2.5
0

100

200

300

400

500

Temperature (c)

Fig. 2: DSC profile of EPHNS (no slip) at heating rate 20C

min1 from 30 to 500C

100
0.0

0.5

Heat flow (W/g)

Weight (%)

80

60
120.99C 51.64%

40
360.19C 34.30%

1.0
187.72C

1.5
148.35C

2.0
108.39C

20

Residue:
7.966%
(1.840 mg)

2.5
131.65C

3.0

100

200

300

400

500

Temperature (c)

100

200

300

400

500

Temperature (c)

Fig. 1: TGA profile of EPHNS (no slip) at heating rate

20C min1 from 30 to 500C

Fig. 3: DSC profile of EPHS1 (carnauba slip + lanolin slip)

at heating rate 20C min1 from 30 to 500C

Table 2: Descriptions of curing/drying profiles of different epoxy-phenolic can coatings

Coating

EPHNS (no slip)

EPHS1 (carnauba
wax + lanolin wax)
EPHS2 (lanolin wax)
EPHS3 (polyamide wax)

102

Rapid solvent(s)
evaporation (C)

Slow solvent(s) evaporation/

film formation (C)

Film network
development (C)

Decomposition of
formed film

30100
30100

100210
100210

210370
210375

Onsets at 370C
Onsets at 375C

30100
30100

100210
100215

210390
215400

Onsets at 390C
Onsets at 400C

J. Coat. Technol. Res., 6 (1) 99106, 2009

0.0

Heat flow (W/g)

0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
147.76C
107.19C

2.5

119.72C

3.0
0

100

200

300

400

500

Fig. 6: SEM micrograph of the tin-plate coated with EPHNS

coating

Temperature (c)

Fig. 4: DSC profile of EPHS2 (lanolin slip) at heating rate

20C min1 from 30 to 500C

1
1
0.8

cos q

0.5

Heat flow (W/g)

0.0

0.6

2.4 m

0.4

6.4 m

0.5
438.86C

14.2 m

0.2

1.0

0
0
1.5

10

20

LV

30
40
50
Surface tension (mN/m)

60

70

115.55C

2.0

100

200

300

400

500

Temperature (c)

Fig. 5: DSC profile of EPHS3 (polyamide slip) at heating

rate 20C min1 from 30 to 500C

increases sharply. Different percentages of the residues

were obtained. EPHNS and EPHS2 gave a similar
value at 8% of residue, EPHS1 gave a value at
12%, and EPHS3 had a value at 15%.
The results in Figs. 15 and in Table 2 show that the
effects of slip agents on the curing behavior and on the
curing decomposition can be significant. The presence
of a slip agent in the coating changes the thermal
profiles in the earlier stages and in the later decomposition phases. It is concluded that Slip 1 and Slip 2 do
not influence greatly the solvent evaporation processes.
However, combinations with Slip 3 showed more rapid
drying.
The surface appearance characteristics
Micrographs of the cured epoxy-phenolic coatings
were taken at a 100 magnification. An example is
shown in Fig. 6 for the EPHNS coating.
On comparing the SEM micrographs of the cured
coatings from EPHS1, EPHS2, and EPHS3 with that of
EPHNS, it became clear that the presence of Slip 1 in
the selected epoxy-phenolic coating makes the surface

Fig. 7: Cos h vs surface tension for cured EPHNS (No slip)

at three film thicknesses (2.4, 6.4, and 14.2 lm)

of the coating smoother after the curing process. Slip 2

gave a poorer surface appearance. Slip 3 gave a rough
surface to the coating after curing.
Surface contact angle evaluations
The formulations containing the three selected slip
agents, deposited at three thicknesses, were studied.
The results are given in Fig. 7. Here, 1 indicates the
greater wetting resistance of the coating films by test
fluids and 2 indicates the lesser interaction between
the coating films and the test fluids. Three dry film
thicknesses (2.4, 6.4, and 14.2 lm) were used on the
basis that if more coating was applied to the tin-plates,
more slip agent could migrate to the surface of the
coating films during and after curing, giving greater
wetting resistance to the coating.
The results from the relationships of contact angles
of different cured coatings at three film thicknesses and
the surface tensions show that cc changes on varying
the film thicknesses (2.414.2 lm) of the coating.
Compared to results for EPHNS, the presence of
Slip 1 in the coating decreases the cc value from 31 to
21 mN/m, indicating that the surface of coating film is
less readily wetted. The steeper slope of EPHS1
compared to the slope of EPHNS indicates that the

103

J. Coat. Technol. Res., 6 (1) 99106, 2009

ability to interact with the surface of the coating film

would be reduced, particularly by fluids of higher
surface tension, such as some aqueous dispersion
foods.
The trends relating to the slopes provided by
samples of EPHS2 and EPHS3 are similar to those of
EPHNS (Fig. 7). However, the resulting cc values
differ, as shown in Table 3.
The results from EPHS12, EPHS13, EPH23, and
EPH123 show again that variation in the film thicknesses (2.414.2 lm) of the coating has little or no
effect on cc (see Table 3); cc is affected mainly by the
slip agents used in the coating containing Slip 1 giving
values reduced from 32 mN/m (for no slip situation)
to 23 mN/m (for the presence of Slip 1). Coatings
that contain mixtures of slip agents that include Slip 1
give a significantly steeper slope to those that do not
include Slip 1.
Two clear families of the curves can be seen in
Fig. 8. Family 1 represents the cured epoxy-phenolic
coatings that do not contain Slip 1. Family 2
indicates the cured epoxy-phenolic coatings that contain the Slip 1 system.
The data in Table 3 show that the cc of the
Family 1 is in the range of 3133 mN/m and that
of the Family 2 is between 21 and 24 mN/m. The
Table 3: Summary of cc of cured epoxy-phenolic
coatings at three film thicknesses
Film thicknesses (lm)/cc (mN/m)

Coating

2.4
EPHNS
EPHS2
EPHS3
EPHS23
EPHS1
EPHS12
EPHS13
EPHS123

31.6
33.2
31.6
33.0
21.5
24.3
22.2
23.2

4.6
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0

31.9
32.4
31.8
32.5
22.2
24.7
23.4
23.6

14.2
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0

32.0
32.8
31.4
32.4
22.7
24.3
23.0
23.3

1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0

presence of Slip 1 in the Family 2 system caused the

difference in cc relative to specimens noted in Family
1. Therefore, of the systems studied, Slip 1 would
appear to be the best slip agent system for reducing cc.
This study is based on a hypothesis that if the wetting
ability of cured coating film is reduced, then the
migration into or out of the coating films would also be
reduced.
It should be recalled that the theme of the current
article relates to the consequences (beneficial or
otherwise) of incorporating slip agents into coatings
that are designed to be internal lacquers for food and
beverage containment. Thus, interaction between the
contents and the coating needs to be minimal.
Evidence of such reduced interaction, as seen in
reduced cc values, is of considerable relevance as it
indicates lesser prospects for swelling of the internal
can coating and potential for consequential reduced
migration phenomena.
Abrasion studies
Here, the effect of the presence of the different slip
agents in the coating systems on the abrasion resistance
of cured coatings is considered. The procedure
adopted, coupled with the associated topic, was
that described by Hosseinpour and by Hosseinpour
et al.22,23
Eight different coating samples were prepared
whereby the three slip agents were used individually
and in combination, in the epoxy-phenolic coating
formulation. These were cured as described earlier.
Figure 9 shows the weight loss of the coatings that
contained different combinations of the three slip
agents after different numbers of rotation, for the
same load (280 g). As the number of the rotations
increased, the extent of the weight loss by abrasion
also increased. This extent varied with the resistance
of the coating surface, dominated by the different
combinations of slip agents. The tin-plate sample

0.0300

EPHNS

0.0250

EPHS1

0.8

EPHS2
EPHS3

0.6

cos q

EPHS12
EPHS13

0.4

Weight loss (g)

EPHS1

EPHS2

0.0200
EPHS3

0.0150

EPHS12
EPHS13

0.0100

EPHS23
EPHS123

EPHS123

EPHNS

0
0

10

20

LV

c 30

40
50
Surface tension (mN/m)

0.0000

60

70

Fig. 8: Cos h vs surface tension for cured epoxy-phenolic

coatings at film thickness (2.4 lm)

104

EPHS23

0.0050

0.2

50

100

150

200

250

Number of rotations

Fig. 9: Weight loss under abrasion for the cured epoxyphenolic coatings containing different combinations of the
slip agents (load of 280 g)

J. Coat. Technol. Res., 6 (1) 99106, 2009

0.0350
280 g

Weight loss (g)

0.0300
480 g

0.0250
0.0200

680 g

0.0150
880 g

0.0100
1080 g

0.0050
0.0000
0

50

100

150

200

250

Number of rotations

Fig. 10: Weight loss under abrasion for the cured epoxyphenolic coatings containing Slip system 1 under different
loads

0.0350
280 g

0.0300
480 g

Weight loss (g)

0.0250
0.0200

680 g

0.0150
880 g

0.0100
1080 g

0.0050
0.0000
0

50

100

150

200

250

Number of rotations

Fig. 11: Weight loss under abrasion for the cured epoxyphenolic coatings containing Slip system 2 under different
loads

0.0350

280 g
0.0300

480 g

0.0250

Weight loss (g)

coated with EPHS13 gave the greatest weight loss.

The introduction of the Slip 2 blend into the epoxyphenolic coating had a positive effect, with the
coating becoming more resistant to abrasion. The
presence of the combination of Slip 1 or Slip 3 in
the coating formulations reduced the abrasion resistance of the cured coatings. Slip system 3 was worse
than the Slip system 1 in this respect.
The effect of the load on the amount of material that was abraded was studied, in the range of
2801080 g.
Figures 1012 show the effect of increased load for
the samples that contained Slip 1, Slip 2, and Slip 3,
respectively. The greater the load applied, the greater
was the coating material that was abraded from the
sample for the different numbers of rotations. The
results in Fig. 9 confirm that the presence of Slip 2 in
the epoxy-phenolic coating makes the coating more
resistant to abrasion. Slip system 3 is worse than the
Slip system 1 and Slip system 2 in this respect.

0.0200

680 g

0.0150

880 g
0.0100

1080 g

0.0050
0.0000

50

100

150

200

250

Number of rotations

Fig. 12: Weight loss under abrasion for the cured epoxyphenolic coatings containing Slip system 3 under different
loads

Conclusions
Slip agents are commonly used in commercial epoxyphenolic can coatings for different purposes. The slip
combination of carnauba wax and lanolin wax enhances the hardness of such coating formulations.
Lanolin wax can play a lubricant role in the manufacture of cans. Polyamide waxes give improvement of
coating wear from coating tools (e.g., roll coating). The
results from this study show that these three slip agents
also influence other characteristics and properties of
epoxy-phenolic can coatings.
It is clear that all of the three slip agents have an
impact on the thermal properties of coatings. The TGA
results show differences in the decomposition caused
by the different slip agents. The polyamide wax has the
greatest influence on the decomposition of the coating.
The three slip agents also affected the solvent(s)
evaporation, the film formation, film network development, and formed film decomposition processes for
the curing coatings. The use of the slip agents delays
solvent evaporation.
The use of the carnauba-lanolin mixtures, in the
epoxy-phenolic coating formulation, improves the
surface appearance after curing. Lanolin wax and
polyamide wax cause the development of a poor
surface appearance for the same coating formulation.
The use of the carnauba-lanolin mixtures in the
coatings reduces the wetting ability of cured coating
surface and would provide less opportunity for the
cured coating film to interact with fluid materials. This
combination plays an important role in protecting the
cured coating surface from wetting by foodstuffs.
These results provide some justification for the
employment of the carnauba-lanolin combination in
the manufacture of the cans and can components
coated with epoxy-phenolic can coatings.
Acknowledgments The work was carried out as a
part of a Defra LINK project FQS45 New technologies
and chemistries for food can coatings. Funding by

105

J. Coat. Technol. Res., 6 (1) 99106, 2009

Defra and matching funds in kind from Valspar

Corporation, Impress Group, and H.J. Heinz are
gratefully acknowledged.

12.

13.

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