Fillers, just like pasta, are used to extend the formula or dish, establishing that fine balance between the performance of a coating and the overall cost of the formula.

MCEC aims to outline the benefits of microbial control and how it is needed to protect and prevent paints from breaking down during storage and losing viscosity, texture and adhesion ability.

Despite a shrinking preservative toolbox, there are still a diverse range of biocide options available to formulators.

The demand for durability as well as for water-miscible products and those that generate little or no VOC has resulted in the launch of a hindered amine light stabilizer (HALS), offered initially to customers in Europe and introduced this year in Asia.

Organic polymethyl urea matting agents impact the aesthetic appearance of a coating made with a metallic pigment in two ways: it reduces the flop index and increases the "sparkle" effect.

In order to achieve high-quality coatings, a pigment dispersion must be liquid, have an optimal particle size and be stable over long periods of time. During the grinding process, dispersing agents distribute and stabilize the smaller pigment particles, restricting re-agglomeration. These same dispersing agents help prevent flocculation of the pigment particles during storage and when mixed in a white-base, latex paint.

Successful incorporation of nanomaterials into optical display coatings relies on the core expertise of engineering finely tuned nanoparticles, dispersal in a variety of solvents and scaling these processes to commercial volumes.

Intelli-ion offers a safer, smarter way to replace traditional toxic chemicals and heavy-metal-containing substitutes. It can be easily incorporated into existing coating products, and could even enhance certain coating properties.

Shin-Etsu Silicones of America, Inc. has launched a new line of long-chain spacer type silane coupling agents that offer increased hydrophobicity and flexibility.

Special clays have successfully demonstrated their use as rheological additives in paint and coatings systems. Sepiolite, attapulgite and smectites make up a particular silicate subgroup in the clay family. All of them, under the appropriate processing conditions, produce gel structures that are capable of behaving as shear thinning and thixotropic fluids.