Dispersing&Wetting

HydrophobicPigments&Fillers
inWaterBasedPaintstoAvoid
PigmentFlooding&Floating
PostedonDecember5,2014byRonLewarchik4comments

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Acriticalpartofanycoatingsformulationisensuringthatthecoatingwillbefreeofinherentdefects,
includingpigmentfloodingandfloating.Waterborneformulationsrepresentsomeuniquechallengesdueto
multiplefactors,includingthehighsurfacetensionandpolarityofwaterthatdoesnotcontributetothe
wettingofmostpigmentandfillerparticles.Inthisarticle,Illdefinesomeimportantconsiderationsin
formulatingwaterbornepaintstoavoidpigmentfloodingandfloating.

Flooding,Floating,SurfaceTension,BernardCells,
FlocculationandAgglomeration
Floatingdescribesamottled,splotchyappearanceonthesurfaceofapaintfilm.Itismostapparentin
coatingscoloredwithtwoormorepigmentsandisaresultofthehorizontalseparationofdifferent
pigments.Floodingisthephenomenaobservedwhenthesurfacecolorofanappliedfilmisuniformbutis
darkerorlighterthanitshouldbe.Thisisattributedtoaverticalseparationofdifferentpigmentsinthefilm.

SurfaceTensionresultswhentheforcethat
occursinaliquidattheinterfacediffersfromthe
forceswithintheliquid.Thus,surfacetensionis
causedfromthesurfacemoleculeshavingahigher

VerticalSeparation
HorizontalSeparation

freeenergythanthosemoleculesinthebulkofthe
liquid.

Surfacetensiondifferentialcancauseaconvection
currentresultinginaregularhexagonalsurfacepatterncalledBenardCells.AhexagonalBenardCell
patternresultsinsmaller,moremobilepigmentparticles(smaller,lessdense)beingdepositedonthe
perimeterandthelessmobileparticles(larger,moredense)remainingawayfromtheperimeter.

Flocculationistherecombinationofdispersedpigmentparticles
thatwerenotproperlystabilizedinthepigmentdispersion.
Flocculationisundesirableatitdetractsfromhidingandcolor
development.Flocculationisreversiblebyapplyingalowdegreeof
shear.Infigure2,thephthalocyanine(EU)bluepigmentis
flocculated.Uponrubbingwithafinger,thedeeperbluecolor
returns.

Figure2Rubupof
FlocculatedBlue
Pigment

StabilizedpigmentdispersionFlocculated
pigmentdispersion
Pigmentagglomerationisdefinedaspigmentparticlesthatareclumpedtogetherwithoutsufficientvehicle
orwettingagentspresentbetweenpigmentparticles.Whenagglomerationoccurs,extensiveshearand
attritionforcesareusuallynecessarytoreinstateastabilizedpigmentdispersion.

RemedialActionstoOvercomeFloatingand
FloodinginWaterbornePaints
Pigmentdispersioninaqueousmediausesthesameprinciplesasinorganicsolventmediasuchasproper
wetting,pigmentdispersionandstabilization.However,thesurfacetensionofwaterandhighpolaritymake
itmoreproblematicinwettinglowpolaritypigments.Inmanycases,waterinteractsaggressivelywiththe
surfaceofthepigment,destabilizingthedispersantonthepigmentsurface.Overcomingfloodingand
floatingstartswithselectingpigmentsthatarefreeoffines.Also,manypigmentmanufacturerssupply
surfacetreatedpigmentstoavoidfloodingandfloating.

Secondly,ensurethatthepigmentdispersionisuniformandstabilized(eliminationofpigmentflocculationof
onepigment,withtheexclusionofotherpigments).

Thirdly,theuseofsuitablewettingagents/surfactantshelptoamelioratedifferencesinpolarityandsurface
tensionbetweenpigmentsthatcontributetofloodingandfloating.Inorganicpigmentssuchasiron
oxides(EU),titaniumdioxide(EU),calciumcarbonate(EU)andmanyotherfillerpigmentshaveapolar
surfaceandareeasilywetbywater.However,wateralonenormallydoesnotstabilizethepigment
dispersionagainstflocculation,sotheyrequireasurfactanttowetandstabilizethedispersion.Also,many

pigmentmanufacturerssupplysurfacetreatedpigmentstoavoidfloodingandfloating.Forsomeorganic
pigmentsthathaveasurfacewithlowpolarity,manymanufacturersmodifythesurfacewithalayerof
inorganicoxidetoprovideincreasedpolaritytoimprovewettinginaqueousbasedsystems.

Fourthly,theuseofanappropriatethixotrope(EU)helpstobuildsufficientviscosityandanetworkstructure
thatdiscouragespigmentseparation.However,onemustbesurethatthereisacceptablecompatibility
betweenthethixatropeanddispersant(EU).

Clicktoviewlargerimage.

Overcomingfloodingandfloatinginsolventborne
paintsprimarilyinvolvesutilizingasuitablepigment
dispersantandtheeliminationofBenardCell
formationwiththeadditionofasurfacecontrolagent.

AfinalconsiderationaffectingthestabilityofanaqueouspaintpigmentisthepHofthepigments.For
example,ifalowpHcarbonblackpigmentisusedinthepigmentdispersionwithouttheuseofasuitable
wettingagentinananodicaqueousbasedpaint(pHnormally>8),longerterminstabilitycanresultasthe
neutralizingamineontheresinbackbonecanmigratetotheacidicpigment.

Caremustbetakenwhilereducingalatexpaintwith
waterbecausefloatingcanoccur(slowadditionof
waterwithpropermixingandensureagainstover
reduction).Thisisduetoashiftintheequilibrium
betweenthedispersedpigmentparticlesandwater,
resultinginadecreaseintheamountofstabilizing
dispersantonthepigment.

TherearenumeroussupplierslistedinULs

Clicktoviewlargerimage.

Prospectorwebsitewithawidevarietyofwetting
agents(EU),pigment
dispersants(EU),surfactants(EU),thixotropes(EU)
andpigmentstomeetyourrequirementsinboth

solventandwaterbornecoatings.