Method for coating metal surfaces with an aqueous, polymer-containing composition, said aqueous composition and the use of the coated substrates

A method comprising:

• contacting a metallic surface with an aqueous composition comprising water and
• a) at least one organic film-forming agent comprising at least one water-soluble or water-dispersed polymer with an acid value within the range from 5 to 200 selected from the group consisting of
• acrylic-polyester-polyurethane mixed polymerisate,
• acrylic-polyester-polyurethane-styrene mixed polymerisate,
• ethylene-acrylic-polyester-polyurethane mixed polymerisate,
• ethylene-acrylic-polyester-polyurethane-styrene mixed polymerisate,
• ethylene-acrylic mixed polymerisate,
• ethylene-acrylic-styrene mixed polymerisate,
• a polyester resin with free carboxyl groups combined with a melamine-formaldehyde resin,
• a synthetic-resin mixture or mixed polymerisate based on acrylate and styrene;
• a synthetic-resin mixture, or a mixed polymerisate or a copolymerisate based on styrene;
• a synthetic-resin mixture, a mixed polymerisate or a copolymerisate based one styrene-butadiene;
• a synthetic-resin mixture or mixed polymerisate of acrylate and epoxide;
• a synthetic resin mixture or mixed polymerisate based on an acrylic-modified polyester containing carboxyl groups together with melamine formaldehyde;
• an ethylene-acrylic mixed polymerisate;
• acrylate;
• ethylene;
• polyester;
• polyurethane;
• silicone polyester;
• epoxide;
• phenol;
• styrene;
• urea polyethylene imine;
• polyvinyl alcohol;
• polyvinyl phenol;
• polyvinyl pyrrolidone;
• polyaspartic acid;
• a phosphorous containing vinyl compound, and formaldehyde;
• b) at least one inorganic compound in particle form with a mean particle diameter, measured by a scanning electron microscope, within the range from 0.005 μm to 0.3 μm,
• c) at least one lubricant and
• d) at least one long-chain alcohol;
• e) at least one organic corrosion inhibitor or at least one crosslinking agent or both, wherein the crosslinking-agent is not a basic compound;
• f) optionally at least one silane or siloxane, reckoned as silane, and
• g) optionally at least one organic solvent;
• wherein
• said aqueous composition is largely or entirely free from chromium(VI) compounds, wherein no separate chromate coating is applied onto the metallic surface to form a particle-containing film on the metallic surface to form a coated metallic surface,
• drying the coated metallic surface to form a dried film and optionally curing the dried film,
• said dried and optionally cured film having a layer thickness within the range from 0.01 μm to 10 μm, determined by detaching a defined area of the dried and optionally cured film and weighing said defined area of said film.