Paints

and
Coatings

Dr Ranjit Kumar
ranjit.kumar@snu.edu.in
 The constituents of paint
Paints contain:
 pigment(s) - prime pigments to impart colour and opacity
 binder (resin) - a polymer, often referred to as resin, forming
a matrix to hold the pigment in place
 extender - larger pigment particles added to improve
adhesion, strengthen the film and save binder
 solvent (sometimes called a thinner) - either an organic
solvent or water is used to reduce the viscosity of the paint
for better application. Water-borne paints are replacing some
paints that use volatile organic compounds such as the
hydrocarbons which are harmful to the atmosphere.
 additives - used to modify the properties of the liquid paint or
dry film
 Pigments used in paints

 Pigments give colour and opacity to paints.

 Amongst the organic pigments, particularly important are
azo-dyes, phthalocyanine, and anthraquinone derivatives.
 The most common inorganic pigment is white titanium
dioxide (titanium(IV) oxide) which provides over 70% of
total pigments used in the industry. It has a high refractive
index and gives a ‘gloss’ to the paint. Another widely used
inorganic pigment is finely divided calcium carbonate. This
has a low refractive index and is used, together with
titanium dioxide, to produce ‘matt’ paints. Other pigments
include iron oxides (black, yellow, and red), silicon oxide,
zinc oxide, and carbon black.
 Powdered metals such as Zn, Al, Cu are used for a metallic
finish, and some metal compounds, for example zinc
phosphate have corrosion inhibiting properties.
Pigments
Critical pigment volume concentration (CPVC) is the pigment concentration
where the pigments are packed as close as possible and the binder is exactly
the amount required to fill the space between the pigments

The pigment-volume concentration,

Pigment Volume
PVC =
Pigment Volume + Binder Volume
 Binders in paints
The three most important binders (resins) used in modern paints are:
1. acrylic polymers (resins)
2. alkyd polymers (resins)
3. epoxy polymers (resins)

 The binder (resin) and solvent together are sometimes known as the
vehicle. The binder may be dissolved as a solution or carried as a
dispersion of microscopically small particles in a liquid.
 Acrylic polymers (resins)
 The binder in many emulsion paints is based on homopolymers or co-
polymers of ethenyl ethanoate (vinyl acetate) and a propenoate
(acrylic) ester.
 Ethenyl ethanoate is manufactured by passing a mixture of ethanoic
acid vapour, ethene and oxygen over heated palladium(ll) and
copper(ll) chlorides:
 The paint frequently comes as two components which
are mixed together just before use: (1) an acrylic resin
produced by the polymerization of a propenoate ester
and (2) a polymeric isocyanate such as a trimer of 1,6-
diisocyanatohexane (hexamethylene diisocyanate)
 Alkyd polymers (resins)
 Decorative gloss paints typically contain alkyd polymers (resins). A
typical resin is produced from a polyol such as propane-1,2,3-triol
(glycerol) with a dibasic acid such as benzene-1,2-dicarboxylic
(phthalic) anhydride and a drying oil (linseed or soybean oil). On
being heated together, ester linkages are formed, and water is a by-
product. The name alkyd is derived from alcohol and anhydride.
 Epoxy polymers (resins)
 Epoxy resins are often used as the binder in industrial coatings (primers).
They give the paint excellent adhesion together with high resistance to
chemicals (corrosion), and physical resistance necessary, for example, on
ships and chemical storage tanks.
 The epoxy resins are made from 3-chloro-1,2-epoxypropane (produced
from 3-chloropropene) and substituted phenols, such as bisphenol A:
 Extender
 An extender pigment is a naturally occurring chemical
substance (usually having a white color) that is added
to a paint or coating to improve its properties such as
durability, cost, and resistance to corrosion or wear.
Some examples of extender pigments are alumina,
carbonates and silicates. They are colorless,
transparent and homogeneous in binder films.
 Extender pigments can provide added benefits based
on its chemical properties and how these properties
react with a parent paint substance. Some benefits
include:
• Increased ease of paint application
• Increased adhesive properties
• Improved film roughness
• Improved paint bulking
• Increased paint film hardness
Common Extenders and their Uses
 Solvent
 A solvent must be chosen that dries evenly, and in which the binder is soluble
but not so soluble that it won't polymerise. For emulsion paints the solvent is
simply water, and for resin-based paints a variety of organic compounds are used
with the most common being mineral turpentine.

• True solvent—A liquid that can dissolve the binder.

• Diluent—A liquid that cannot dissolve the binder by itself but can be added to a
solution to increase its capacity for the binder.
• Latent solvent—A liquid that cannot dissolve the binder by itself but increases the
binder’s tolerance for a diluent.
• Thinner—Any pure or mixed liquid added to a paint to reduce its viscosity (make it
more flowable).
• Front-end solvent—A fast evaporating solvent that leaves the paint very soon after
application, usually before the part reaches the oven.
• Exempt solvent—Solvents that do not react with sunlight to form smog and whose
use is not controlled by regulation. A few chlorinated compounds are now
considered exempt as well as acetone and methyl acetate.
• Middle solvent—A medium evaporation rate solvent that leaves the paint primarily
during flash-off and oven warm-up.
• Tail-end solvent—A slowly evaporating solvent that leaves the paint primarily during
the baking cycle.
• Retarder—A slowly evaporating solvent added to a paint to prolong the drying time.
Typically used to reduce orange peel or blushing.
Solvents
 Additives

Depending on the type of paint and intended use, additives may

include:
 Dispersants - to separate and stabilise pigment particles
 Silicones - to improve weather resistance
 Thixotropic agents - to give paints a jelly-like consistency that
breaks down to a liquid when stirred or when a brush is dipped
into it
 Driers - to accelerate drying time
 Anti-settling agents - to prevent pigment settling
 Bactericides - to preserve water based paints in the can
 Fungicides and algaecides - to protect exterior paint films
against disfigurement from molds, algae and lichen
Paints are formulated according to their proposed use - primer,
undercoat, special finishes (matt, gloss, heat resistance, anti-corrosion,
abrasion resistance). The pigment powder is broken down into individual
particles which are coated by and dispersed in the binder (resin) - known
as 'wetting out'. Solvent is then added to give the required consistency.
Each batch of ingredients is thoroughly mixed in large, stirred containers
with the required additives.
• The paints formulated with low PVC, shows an excess of binder present which results in a
well bound film giving a high gloss level, and good chemical, water and abrasion resistance.
• At extremely high PVCs, paints would be flat with a poor degree of wash and abrasion
resistance.
• The level of pigmentation is known as the critical pigment volume concentration (CPVC).
• CPVC is usually described as the PVC at which there is precisely the right amount of binder
to wet the pigment particles and to fill the voids between them.
• At levels above the CPVC, there is an insufficient amount of binder to wet all of the pigment
and the air-filled voids will form in dry film.
• When the PVC is equal or below the CPVC, the binder forms a continuous film, which is
relatively impermeable.
Emulsion paint formulation
Enamel Paint Formulation