Color strength and color acceptance are two main attributes, when an architectural coating is formulated; compatibility between the tint or colorant and the paint is critical to achieve great performance when the coating is applied by roller, brush or spray, and for its final properties as a film. To develop, prepare and match a color requires technology and many hard hours of work. To achieve this, many ingredients are interacting, for instance, slurries, lattices, coalescing agents, surfactants, dispersants, etc. In this article, our attention is focused on surfactants, more specifically nonionic branched surfactants.
Branched surfactants possess unique properties. Polyethylene and propylene oxide groups are easy to modify, creating different HLBs¹ and offering an enormous portfolio. Also, being alkylphenol ethoxylate (APE)-free they are a replacement alternative and comply with environmental demands and biodegradability. In the past, different tests and technical studies have been done related to color properties.²⁻⁴ Mahli, et.al⁵ shows that increasing the ethoxylation in nonionic surfactants improves color development for carbon black, yellow and red colorants or tints at a certain concentration range.