Highly versatile aluminum flake for water, solvent and ultra-low VOC coatings and inks

 
Liquid coatings and inks are facing increased pressure with respect to the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). As a result, ink and coating formulators have to balance safety, regulatory and emission standards while meeting their customer´s performance requirements. For low VOC, metallic formulations, aluminum pigments are used to impart a desirable silver or metallic effect with excellent hiding power. In these applications, aluminum is typically supplied as either a dry powder or water-borne preparation, however, stringent safety measures are required to prevent dust explosions and corrosion which can release hydrogen gas. In this report, a versatile, VOC-free aluminum preparation is introduced that can be formulated into a variety of solvent- and water-borne inks and coatings while directly addressing the aforementioned safety concerns.