Xiangjiang Paint Partners with CIMC: Two Coating Technologies Unlock the “Energy-Saving Code” for Cold Chain Transportation

Recently, two coating patents jointly applied for by Xiangjiang Paint Technology Co., Ltd. and China International Marine Containers (Group) Co., Ltd. (CIMC) — “A Modified High-Reflectance Thermal Insulation Topcoat and Its Preparation Method” and “An Elastic High-Anticorrosion Super-Insulation Intermediate Coat and Its Preparation Method” — have directly addressed the core pain points of thermal insulation for containers and transport vehicles, providing brand-new coating solutions for cold chain logistics and temperature-sensitive cargo transportation.

Topcoat: High Reflectance + High Weather Resistance, Achieving “Passive Cooling”

In the container surface coating system, the topcoat serves as the first line of defense against solar radiation. Traditional thermal insulation topcoats suffer from poor insulation effect, tendency to crack when applied thickly, and unsatisfactory decorative appearance. The modified high-reflectance thermal insulation topcoat developed by Xiangjiang Paint and CIMC uses acrylic resin as the main binder, which offers excellent film performance and long resistance to artificial accelerated aging. By rationally combining it with hyperbranched modified acrylic resin and incorporating high-reflectance cooling functional pigments and fillers, the coating achieves advantages such as high weather resistance, high reflectance cooling, good wettability, and easy application.

Key technical indicators of this topcoat are impressive: solar reflectance ≥ 0.86, hemispherical emissivity ≥ 0.88, and near-infrared reflectance ≥ 0.88. This means the coating can reflect most solar radiation energy, effectively reducing heat transfer to the intermediate and primer layers, thereby achieving significant passive cooling. For container bodies, this feature can substantially reduce internal temperature fluctuations, extend the storage time of temperature-sensitive goods such as fresh food and pharmaceuticals, and lower the risk of quality deterioration during transportation. At the same time, by reducing air-conditioning cooling load, fuel consumption and carbon emissions will also decrease. The preparation method is simple, suitable for industrial production, and applicable to the coating processes and procedures for container equipment and facilities, with high on-site construction efficiency.

Intermediate Coat: Elasticity + High Anticorrosion + Super Insulation, Solving the Dilemma of “Balancing Thermal Conductivity and Anticorrosion”

The intermediate coat plays a critical bridging role in the coating system. Traditional insulation materials such as polystyrene foam and glass wool have drawbacks including heavy weight, complex construction, and flammability. Existing insulation coatings either lack elasticity and perform poorly in thin films, or crack easily in thick films, making it difficult to meet the strict requirements for thermal insulation of transport vehicles and resistance to cracking under vibration during motion.

The elastic high-antocorrosion super-insulation intermediate coat invented by Xiangjiang Paint and CIMC uses hyperbranched epoxy resin as the main binder — a resin known for high bonding strength, excellent chemical resistance, and good mechanical properties. To further enhance overall performance, the R&D team modified it with carboxyl-terminated nitrile rubber and incorporated insulating fillers such as hollow glass microspheres, resulting in a coating that simultaneously offers high hardness, good toughness, certain elasticity, and outstanding thermal insulation properties.

The core performance indicators of this intermediate coat are equally excellent: pull-off adhesion ≥ 5 MPa, thermal conductivity ≤ 0.08 W/(m·K), and composite coating thermal insulation temperature difference up to more than 10°C. This means it can efficiently block heat transfer while resisting harsh corrosive environments, with a certain elongation at break improving the coating’s vibration resistance and crack prevention performance.

Notably, this invention overcomes the “seasonal” construction limitations of water-based insulation coatings and can be applied in low-temperature and high-humidity environments while maintaining good anti-sagging and leveling properties. The preparation method requires no grinding step, features a simple process and lower production cost, and is suitable for promotion.

Strong Alliance: Xiangjiang Paint’s Profound Foundation

As a wholly-owned subsidiary of Xiangjiang Paint Group, Xiangjiang Paint Technology Co., Ltd. undertakes the Group’s core business and focuses on industrial coatings, specialty coatings, and water-based coatings. The Group originated from Hunan Paint Factory, established in 1950, and has more than seventy years of development history. It operates four modern coating production bases in Hunan and Henan, with over 2,000 employees, forming a fully self-controlled whole-industry-chain system. Particularly noteworthy is that Xiangjiang Paint is currently the only Chinese company ranked among the global top 20 industrial coatings enterprises and the global top 10 automotive coatings enterprises.

This joint innovation with CIMC once again demonstrates Xiangjiang Paint’s profound technological accumulation in the industrial coatings field. The combined application of these two patents is expected to provide complete bottom-to-top thermal insulation coating solutions for containers, tank trucks, cold chain vehicles, and other fields, giving Chinese smart manufacturing a more energy-efficient and high-performance “outer garment.”