Additives for the next generation of slurries - no more sedimentation

 
Slurries of pigments like titanium dioxide or fillers are essential intermediate products e.g. in the production of architectural paints. In order to allow efficient handling, they should have high pigment loadings combined with low viscosities ? but these low viscosities also provoke the formation of sediments & syneresis during storage or transportation. So in addition to particle stabilization, rheology is key for good performance. A generation of novel dispersing additives shows a unique rheological behavior with a significant yield point, very strong shear thinning & extremely fast recovery when no shear force is applied. Methods like adsorption studies, oscillatory rheology measurements & high throughput experimentation can help to understand structure-property relationship and support the optimization of molecule geometries. Specialty fillers are included in this study offering the opportunity to optimize optical & mechanical properties of the finished paints.