Today, solventborne formulations remain an important fraction of the industrial coatings market. This is due to the high performance requirements needed in more demanding applications that conventional heterogeneous polymer systems cannot meet. These include less efficient barrier properties, dry films that are more water sensitive and issues with the appearance of the film. Typical aesthetic problems associated with waterborne coating systems are lower gloss and higher tendency to dirt pick up.
Increasingly, legislation is forcing coatings manufacturers to reformulate their remaining solventborne coatings. The environmental arguments against solvent use are growing. Evidence suggests that some solvents can catalyze ground level ozone formation, exposure to others can lead to chronic disease, and there are the risks and cost involved with handling, transport and storage of these typically highly flammable liquids. However, to truly drive change, manufacturers need waterborne systems that can provide the product performance that they have expected from solvent systems.