Recent developments in the anti-graffiti coatings: an attentive review

An anti-graffiti coating (AGC) is a protective layer applied on the surface (all types including cultural heritage and metallics) to limit possible vandalism phenomena. AGCs are one of the elementary classes of coating materials, creating a barrier layer between substrate and graffiti, preventing the penetration of graffiti into the substrate and helping easy graffiti removal. AGC can be applied on porous and nonporous substrates, including concrete, mortar, stone, granite, metals, etc. AGCs are mainly classified as permanent, semi-permanent, and sacrificial. Sacrificial AGCs include waxes, polysaccharides, and polysiloxane, whereas permanent AGCs include fluorinated polymers, nanoparticles-based coating, silicon, and polyurethanes (PU). The use of hybrid polymers in AGCs containing silane or siloxane and fluoropolymers-based compounds with effective anti-graffiti (AG) properties is an introductory class in the future AGC market. Nowadays, nanotechnology is widely used in AG pretreatment. These polymer chemistries of AGCs find the application on historical walls, public places, trains, houses, etc. The present article focuses on various types of AGCs, their current market trends based on multiple chemistries, mechanisms, and their performance with the structure–property relationships.Graphical abstract