Polyurethane coatings in 20th century outdoor painted sculptures: discrimination of major subgroups by means of ATR-FTIR spectroscopy

Like acrylics and alkyds, polyurethanes (PUs) represent an important class of industrial paints adopted by 20th and 21st artists; primarily by those creating outdoor painted sculptures (OPS). Because PU coatings offer a compromise between aesthetic and performance expectations, unachievable with other types of paints, they are commonly recognized as the most appropriate option for painted artworks intended for an outdoor setting. However, the PU class includes various systems and subgroups possessing very different properties, for instance two package solvent-borne, two package water-borne, one package water-borne and fluoropolymer polyurethanes.
The present research aims to provide to the conservation professionals a better understanding of the versatility and diversity of PU coatings through compositional information and to outline markers helpful to differentiate the major PU subgroups from OPS by means of ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. The ATR-FTIR study conducted on a wide range of PU reference materials from the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) reference collection highlights the relevance of this routine analytical method to discriminate certain subgroups of PU coatings. Indeed, by investigating well-known specimen it was possible to outline diagnostic FTIR features for three specific systems; fluoropolymer PU, one package water-borne PU made from acrylic latexes and two package water-borne PU prepared with PU dispersions. Furthermore, the FTIR measurements performed on various activators and co-reactants emphasizedthesignificantcontributionofthepolyisocyanateabsorptionsinthespectraofthe activated two package PU systems. However, the results obtained for various unmodified and water dispersible HDI polyisocyanate activators showed that the FTIR-ATR technique does not allow the discrimination within both types.