Acrylic Binder improves hardness in low-VOC architectural paints.
Press Release Summary:
RHOPLEX™ 800h features controlled polymer morphology technology, which employs hard, soft, and functional monomers in waterborne acrylic binder to help improve hardness and block resistance in high-gloss, deep-tone, low-VOC architectural paints. Binder helps create ultra-low-VOC, deep-colored paints that exhibit increased tack, scrape, and print resistance.
Original Press Release:
New Binder from Dow Improves Hardness in Low-VOC Architectural Paints
Optimized ultra-low VOC technology facilitates film formation and hardness for high-gloss and deep-tone paints
PHILADELPHIA – Dow Coating Materials, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), unveiled new RHOPLEX™ 800h Acrylic Binder today at the Western Coatings Symposium, providing a solution to formulators seeking to improve hardness in architectural paints.
Created to allow for early hardness development in low-volatile organic compound (VOC) paints, the controlled polymer morphology technology employs hard, soft and functional monomers in a single waterborne acrylic binder to help improve hardness and block resistance in high-gloss and deep-tone architectural paints.
“The ongoing drive toward low- and zero-VOC capable coatings offers continuous opportunities for innovation, and as consumers seek brighter, more vibrant colors for their homes, we’re faced with solving the low-VOC hardness profile challenge,” said Fallyn Flaherty-Earp, North America architectural marketing manager, Dow Coating Materials. “Hardness and block resistance are difficult to achieve in low-VOC formulations, particularly in high-gloss and deep-tone paints with low pigment volume concentration (PVC). RHOPLEX™ 800h Binder facilitates formulation flexibility, helping create ultra-low-VOC, binder-rich, deep colored paints that have excellent hardness and tack, as well as block, print and scrape resistance.”
To overcome these challenges, approaches for developing new binder technology were focused on investigating post film formation crosslinking chemistries and latex particle morphology optimization.
“We designed experiments to help us understand structure-property relationships between binder compositions and formulation variables,” said Partha Majumdar, associate research scientist, Dow Coating Materials. “Predictive models from the experimental designs were used to optimize binder compositions. Optimized binders showed a significant improvement in hardness profile and maintained the balance of properties in low PVC formulations.”
Majumdar will address this experimental technique and results today at 2:50 p.m. during a technical presentation at the Western Coatings Symposium. For a full listing of Dow presentations at the 2015 Western Coatings Symposium, stop by the Dow Coating Materials booth (#200) or visit www.dowcoatingmaterials.com/wcs.
Coatings formulated with RHOPLEX™ 800h Binder, compared to those formulated with competitive binders, show improved tack resistance and demonstrate excellent scrape and print resistance – important qualities for trim surfaces, windows and door frames.
Ultra-low VOC paint formulations have tended to be either too soft or too hard, with the former resulting in poor block and tack resistance and the latter resulting in poor scrape resistance. RHOPLEX™ 800h Binder will help address the growing consumer demand for deep-tone paints that offer smooth application, dry quickly and maintain a glossy, hard finish without cracking.
“Manufactured without the use of APEO surfactants or solvents, RHOPLEX™ 800h is setting a new standard for premium performance low-VOC paints. Formulators no longer have to compromise between low-VOC and creating a deep-tone or high-gloss coating with excellent hardness and block resistance,” said Flaherty-Earp.
About Dow Coating Materials
Dow Coating Materials is the most innovative coatings raw material supplier in the world; driving fundamental shifts in the coatings industry and moving the market as the expert’s expert in coatings solutions. Through its mission of collaboration, inspiration, innovation and growth, the business provides material products, science, technology, and manufacturing solutions to the architectural and industrial coatings industry worldwide. Dow Coating Materials operates 43 manufacturing plants worldwide and 13 dedicated R&D facilities across all major geographic markets where Dow does business. For more information please visit www.dowcoatingmaterials.com.
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company is driving innovations that extract value from the intersection of chemical, physical and biological sciences to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, clean energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's integrated, market-driven, industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 180 countries and in high-growth sectors such as packaging, electronics, water, coatings and agriculture. In 2014, Dow had annual sales of more than $58 billion and employed approximately 53,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 6,000 product families are manufactured at 201 sites in 35 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.
For further information contact:
Cristina Myers
Dow Coating Materials
215-592-2629
CMyers2@dow.com
Christina Atkinson
G&S Business Communications
212-697-2600
CAtkinson@gscommunications.com
