Comparative Study of Synthesis, Characterization, and Performance Evaluation of Strippable Coating Materials Based on Aqueous Emulsions of Acrylic and Acrylic‐Styrene Polymers for Surface Decontamination

ABSTRACT Use of radionuclides for energy and other applications is associated with the possibility of their spillage causing surface contamination. Herein, two strippable coating materials (SCM) based on aqueous emulsions of acrylic (AR) and acrylic‐styrene (ASR) polymeric resins have been prepared and comparatively studied using different physicochemical, mechanical, and thermal techniques. Their decontamination efficiency was evaluated on three different surfaces (stainless steel [SS], polyvinyl chloride [PVC], and ceramic [CE]) contaminated with four different concentrations (0.005, 0.05, 0.5, and 5.0 M) of simulant (radioactive) material, that is, aqueous cesium fluoride ( 133 CsF) using SEM–EDX technique. Performance of both the materials coincided with the smoothness of different surfaces and followed the order CE > SS > PVC. Prepared materials exhibited decontamination efficiency of 98.92%–100% at 0.005 M and 88.94%–100% at both 0.05 and 0.5 M contamination conditions. These values are excellent for realistic contamination level of typical field conditions. For both the materials, efficiency decreases with increasing contaminant concentration. At the unrealistically high concentration of 5.0 M, efficiency decreased to 67.13%–93.32% probably due to saturation of active binding sites. Out of the developed materials, ASR‐SCM was considered as a better choice for application in view of stability and overall characterization parameters.