Cognis has extended its FoamStar® range of defoamers, using innovative technology to combine excellent defoaming and wetting performance with environmental compatibility. Cognis' new FoamStar technology is based on a hyper-branched polymer molecule with a three-dimensional star-shaped structure, which contains both hydrophilic and hydrophobic elements. It functions as a "second surfactant," interacting with the primary surfactant to destabilize the foam bubbles. Compared to conventional defoamers, bubble break times are substantially reduced, improving overall efficiency of waterborne coatings.

The FoamStar technology enables more efficient defoaming while simultaneously enhancing dispersing, wetting and other aspects of coating performance, and improving cost effectiveness. Overall, defoamers using FoamStar technology are significantly more efficient than conventional alternatives, meaning that dosage can be reduced by between 30 and 50 percent; this in turn means reduced development and production costs for coatings, paints and varnishes.