Aqueous Pre-Dispersed Fumed Silica Enhances Waterborne Coatings.pdfVIP

Aqueous?Pre-Dispersed?Fumed?Silica Enhances?Waterborne?Coatings By?Matthew?Linares September?1,?2009 Fumed?silica,?in?various?grades?and?modifications,?has?been?used?for?decades?in coatings?as?thixotropes,?anti-settling?and?anti-sag?agents.?However,?due?to?the low?viscosity?of?many?water-based?coatings,?they?serve?as?a?poor?grinding environment,?making?it?difficult?to?achieve?adequate?dispersion?and?sufficient de-aggregation?of?the?traditional?powder?technology.?Without?proper dispersion,?efficacy?is?compromised?and?surface?appearance?properties?suffer. Both?of?these?concerns?can?be?overcome?by?employing?pre-made?dispersions?in water?of?fumed?silica Lab?evaluations?have?demonstrated?that?multiple?performance?attributes?can?be enhanced?by?the?use?of?fumed?silica?dispersions?such?as?improvement?of pigment,?filler?and?matting?agent?suspension,?reduced?tack,?improved?dirt?pick- up?resistance,?enhanced?film?strength,?and?even?improved?film?formation?of some?resins,?without?compromising?gloss?and?other?appearance?attributes. Physical?and?Chemical?Attributes Due?to?its?negative?charge?and?acidic?nature,?standard?fumed?silica?is?somewhat limited?in?its?use?in?waterborne?coatings.?In?pre-dispersed?form,?fumed?silica?is available?in?both?acidic?and?alkaline?forms?as?well?as?with?cationic?modification, providing?the?formulator?a?much?greater?range?of?versatility.?There?are?also several?methods?to?modify?the?pH?based?on?the?needs?of?the?formulator,?such?as ammonia,?KOH?and?NaOH.?Various?grades?of?fumed?silica?dispersions?are available?with?silica?ranging?in?surface?area?from?90?to?300?m2/g?with?solid contents?from?12%-40%?silica.?Also?available?are?dispersions?of?titania,?alumina and?mixed?oxides.?These?dispersions?are?made?without?solvent?or?surfactant. Therefore,?they?have?no?impact?on?VOCs?and?very?little?likelihood?of?causing incompatibility?when?added?to?a?formula.?This?paper?mainly?focuses?on?the?use of?a?20%?solids?alkaline,?aqueous?dispers