Interview: “A lack of significant new additives
Suppliers are advertising new and allegedly more efficient additives all the time. But what are the people thinking who are using them in their coatings formulations? We spoke with João Machado, Technical Director at the Portuguese coatings’ manufacturer CIN.
Do you see developments in the additive sector that could lead to less complexity for formulators?
João Machado: To be honest, I have not seen many developments in the additive sector that can make life easier for formulators. In fact, not only has there been a lack of significant new additives in this area, but also the few new additives we have tested have not performed as intended.
Recently, though, I have heard about some high performance multifunctional additives that simultaneously improve pigment colour development and coatings durability. These new additives sound interesting in helping to reduce the complexity for formulators but still have to be thoroughly tested.
João Machado, Technical Director at CIN (Corporação Industrial do Norte)
What trends to you think will influence the additive market in the near future?
Machado: In architectural coatings the additive market will be influenced in the near future or medium term by the following trends: energy saving, indoor air quality, environmental footprint and bio-based and renewable products. In fact, in this area there will be more restrictive regulations for the ecological footprint, indoor air quality, and probably the creation of incentive taxes for bio-based products.
In industrial coatings the growth of smart coatings such as self-healing, anti-fingerprint, anti-ace and drag reducing paints will drive the development of new additives. However, there will certainly be strong restrictions on nanomaterials, which will affect the development of additives.
Finally, in protective coatings, the additive market will be affected by restrictions or legislation regarding VOC emissions, forcing the development of low VOC or water-based coatings and consequently the launch of additives that can guarantee an excellent anticorrosive performance in these conditions.
The additive market will continue to be confronted with REACH legislation, increasing restrictions related to handling, transport and labelling of certain substances and the expected reclassification and even elimination of some chemicals due to their toxicity.
