Novel Enabling Techniques to Quantify Wet and Dry Coating Properties
By Sowmitri Tarimala, Kimberly D. Gaughan and Sharon Y. Wilson – Ashland Inc., Wilmington, DE
The global coatings industry is constantly evolving to keep pace with emerging technology and consumer trends. Some trends are driven by environmental and regulatory requirements (e.g., low VOCs or low odor), cost (e.g., TiO2 optimization) or performance (e.g., improved hide, smooth finish). These trends pose challenges to formulators as well as specialty chemical companies to design products with improved performance while allowing them to remain compliant with regulations, address public environmental concerns, and still meet consumer quality and performance expectations. A key aspect in the development and selection of new additives to achieve improved performance is a robust measurement and analytical framework that helps establish structure-property relationships.