In this busy world, it pays to be a multitasker. At any given time, you may need to wear any of a number of hats, depending on the situation. Surfactants are like that. Otherwise known as “surface active agents,” they can serve as wetting agents, emulsifiers, foaming agents, and dispersants, depending on the formulation needs. To better illustrate, we’ve gathered some relevant facts and market trends about surfactants, specifically their use in the paints and coatings industry.
For example, did you know that Europe is the largest consumer of biosurfactants, because of consumer awareness of potential health hazards? For additional insights into surfactants in coatings formulation, be sure to also check out Marc Hirsch’s article, “Surface Active Agents (Surfactants).”
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Sources:
- Wikipedia: Surfactants in Paint
- Allied Market Research: Surfactants Market by Type and Application – Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2014 – 2020
- Mordor Intelligence: Surfactants Market – Segmented by Origin, Type, Application, and Geography – Growth, Trends and Forecasts (2018 – 2023)
- Allied Market Research: World Biosurfactant Market – Opportunities and Forecasts, 2017-2023
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Enjoyed the read…thanks
Great article Angie!
very good infrmation thanks. Do you have any informatión about the specific work of surfactants in the dispersability of pigments in aqueous and solvent type coatings.
Thanks
If you use the UL database for raw materials and search for pigment dispersion, 6 results are returned. This is one of them: https://www.ulprospector.com/en/na/Coatings/Detail/6771/278465/Dispersion-and-Stabilisation-of-Pigments-and-Fillers?st=1&sl=73156376&crit=a2V5d29yZDpbcGlnbWVudCBkaXNwZXJzaW9uXSA%2bIEluZHVzdHJ5IEluZm9ybWF0aW9u&ss=2&k=pigment|dispersion&t=pigment+dispersion
In my view we should differentiate between 2 types of interface additives when considering dispersion and stabilization of pigments:
– Wetting agents: additives that improve wetting (= covering of the surface of the particles with liquid).
– Dispersants: polymeric molecules that adsorb at the surface of the particles and that make the particles repel each other (to prevent flocculation).
In solventbased systems most often wetting agent is not needed. Most often dispersants are used that give steric stabilization.
In waterbased systems, often wetting agent must be used (because of the high surface tension of water). In waterbased systems both steric and electrostatic stabilization can be used to prevent flocculation.