One of the main tasks of coatings manufacturers is to cover the full color space, offering a wide variety of high-quality coatings in a large range of applications. An important part of their know-how is focused on pigment selection. They have at their disposal inorganic pigments, rather known for their opacity, outdoor durability and thermal stability, and organic pigments offering highly chromatic colors at the expense of lower durability. Depending on the resins used and the targeted markets, the right pigment combinations must be determined to achieve the required properties, avoiding challenges such as pigment settling, floating, high viscosity, metamerism and so on.
In the last decades, a worldwide, regulation-driven evolution in inorganic pigment offerings has been observed, with the progressive withdrawal of the lead-containing pigments Chrome Yellow (PY34) and Molybdate Orange (PR104) from the market. These two pigments are well known for their bright shade, high opacity, high gloss and good durability, but unfortunately their toxicity leads authorities throughout the world to ban their use today and in the near future. Ever since, it has been a challenge for the coatings industry to replace these pigments, and in some cases, technical improvements are still needed.