Next generation styrene-acrylic dispersions
More and more biocides are under discussion. New limits for biocides are forcing manufacturers to look for alternatives. New styrene-acrylic dispersions could be used to formulate paints with very high pH values to reduce in can fouling.
The use of a styrene-acrylic dispersion as binder in decorative wall paint has been a standard in many regions, thanks to its intrinsic high-water resistance and outstanding pigment loading capability. However, there is still room for improvement like better water-resistance, better wet abrasion resistance and of course stability at high pH to reduce the need of biocides like MIT (methylisothiazolinone).
The technical focus article from the European Coatings Journal 11/2018 is showing, that new styrene-acrylic dispersions have the potential to meet all of these targets. One of the most commonly used binders for water-based decorative wall paint is styrene-acrylic dispersions based on styrene and butyl acrylate monomers.
Increased water-resistance
The paper describes the usage of 2-ethylhexyl acrylate (2-EHA) as the hydrophobic soft monomer and the comparison of its performance against butyl acrylate (BA). This showed that tyrene-2-EHA dispersions show significantly better water resistance than those based on n-BA.
The article also showed, that the target of the very high alkali stability at pH 11.4 was met and that the binder can be used in silicate systems and is also potentially suitable for biocide-free wall paints.
More information
Additional data on this paper will be given during the European Coatings Live Webinar on November 27 at 15:00 CET. Registration is open and completely free of charge.
