When consumers and paint contractors start their next home improvement project, the paint they buy may very well contain a new technology from Dow Coating Materials called EVOQUE™ Pre-Composite Polymer Technology.

NEW YORK – When consumers and paint contractors start their next home improvement project, the paint they buy may very well contain a new technology from Dow Coating Materials called EVOQUE™ Pre-Composite Polymer Technology. The new class of material invented by Dow Coating Materials offers excellent hiding and allows paint manufacturers to use up to 20 percent less TiO2. Dow Coating Materials has commercialized 10 new products for customers in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America, and many more customers are testing the technology with promising results.

“When we launched the EVOQUE™ Platform, we knew we had a ground-breaking technology, but until customers started to test it and see the results for themselves, we were careful not to make any premature predictions about how quickly adoptions would happen,” said Guillermo Novo, Group Vice President, Dow Coating Materials. “By the time we were on to our second or third customer, and they were happy with what they saw, we started to sense the momentum building. Now, with about a dozen customers in all different regions of the world commercializing with our technology in such a very short timeframe, we are convinced that EVOQUE Pre-Composite Polymer Technology is well on its way to securing its place as ‘here to stay’ technology, much like its predecessor ROPAQUE™ Opaque Polymer did nearly 30 years ago.”

Coatings are the largest consumers of TiO2. In 2010, coatings consumed more than 2.75 million metric tons, or 56 percent, of the total TiO2 produced globally. That’s because when it comes to the ability to reflect light, this white mineral can’t be beat. But its tendency to “crowd” together, rather than evenly disperse, means formulators have to add increasing amounts in order to compensate for its lack of efficiency. With industry sources predicting short supplies and high prices for TiO2 lasting through 2016, paint formulators have been struggling to maintain a balance between price and performance. EVOQUE Pre-Composite Polymer Technology helps formulators stretch tight TiO2 supplies by spacing the pigment more evenly throughout the formulation, giving them the option to use up to 20 percent less TiO2 and reduce costs, keep the same levels of TiO2 and market a higher quality paint, or a combination of the two. When combined with Dow’s legacy ROPAQUE™ Opaque Polymers, which function as a less costly light-scattering pigment, formulators can reduce TiO2 levels by up to 40 percent.