11/16/21, 4:30 PM Coatings Additives - Defoamers, Adhesion Promoters & UV Protection - Prospector Knowledge Center

Coatings Additives – Defoamers, Adhesion

Promoters & UV Protection
Posted on October 16, 2015 by Marc Hirsch

Coatings consist primarily of binder (resin), as well as primary and extender pigments. They may also
contain solvent, whether it’s water, organic or inorganic in nature. To a much lesser extent but
sometimes more important, are additives.

Additives are typically used at levels of less than 5% in a formulation, but often have a significant
impact on performance. An otherwise well-formulated coating can be ruined with the improper use of
additives. In the additive world, “more is better” is almost never the case. Over the past decade,
many new additives have been developed due to environmental regulations, utilization of green
technologies and to keep pace with the new chemistries of binders.

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It is not possible to review every additive in a brief overview, as they are too numerous. There are
excellent articles with much detailed information on this topic. In a previous post on the Prospector
Knowledge Center, surfactants were discussed. All surfactants are additives but not all additives are
surfactants. Some additives do, in fact, affect surface properties, but others act within the body of the
coating or are processing or application aids.

Table 1 provides an overview of many of the common additives, but it is not complete. Some of the
ones listed can be included in more than one category, and readers may disagree with where some
are included.

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Table 1 – Categories of Coatings Additives

The three additive categories that will be presented are: defoamers/anti-foam agents, UV
protection and adhesion promoters. These were chosen since their chemistries, applications and
mode of activity are very diverse, and they can be some of the more challenging additives to employ
in coatings formulations.

There is a distinction between anti-foam and defoamer. In the former, the intent is to impart a material
that prevents the formation of entrapped air in the liquid coating during processing. This is typically
most difficult in waterborne coatings since they possess relatively high surface energies at the
liquid/air interface and do not release air easily. Anti-foams often perform best if they reduce the
energies between small bubbles, so they agglomerate and when large enough, rise to the coating
surface and break. Prevention of the bubble formation is, however, the most efficient activity.

A defoamer is a type of surfactant that breaks bubbles. Whereas anti-foams typically refer to
materials used during processing, defoamers more often refer to their activity during application
processes. Bubbles can be created by almost any application methodology, and particularly with air-
assisted spray by roller. If the bubbles do not break quickly, there can be resultant film defects such
as craters or pinholes.

There are many different types of defoamers that match the chemistries (waterborne vs. solvent or
solventless) as well as application and finish. A formulator should be aware that a laboratory test to
screen defoamers may not be relevant to an application. For example, if a wood coating with a strong
defoamer is applied to a Leneta chart by brush, there may be instances of crawling or fisheyes.
However, if the same coating is applied by spray, it may show no indication of film defects. The shear
rate as applied by spray is far greater than as applied by brush, resulting in the disparity of film
appearance. Rather than adding a surfactant to improve the appearance of the coating as applied to
a card, if the formulator utilizes the correct application methodology, he can avoid the additional cost
and effect of the addition of a “corrective” ingredient.

Rather than indicate UV protection by the traditional label of “UV-absorber/Hindered amine light
stabilizer” or UV-A/HALS, the broader term of “protection” is used. Although the organic chemicals
are most widely used for the protection from UV in sunlight, alternative inorganic chemistries are

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utilized in many applications, with the advent of nanomaterials. Particularly in exterior transparent or
semi-transparent stains, nano-sized iron oxide, zinc oxide, cerium oxide and titanium dioxide, can be
effectively employed without appreciably affecting clarity, color or gloss. In addition, the inorganic
materials are far more permanent than the sacrificial nature of HALS/UVA. Nanomaterials are
effective for UV-A, while other means are required for UV-B. The issues are similar for  sunscreens
for humans as well.

UVR spectrum coverage of different ingredients in sunscreen.

The principal ingredients in UV absorbers, are usually aromatic molecules conjugated with carbonyl
groups. This general structure allows the molecule to absorb high-energy ultraviolet rays and release
the energy as lower-energy rays (heat). Aromatic rings are degrade over time by radiation, and thus
the organic absorbers are sacrificial in nature. Hindered Amine Light Stabilizers (HALS) are radical
scavengers. Free radicals are released upon degradation of inorganic materials such as TiO2 and
ZnO and these radicals degrade the polymer. HALS bind the free radicals and eliminate their effect.
They are also sacrificial, similar to UV absorbers.

Adhesion promoters (AP) are materials that increase adhesive strength between the coating and
the substrate, and sometimes are referred to as “coupling agents”. There are different chemistries
that match the substrate as well as the solvent system. In addition, within a class of materials, the
functionality on the backbone of the molecule will vary based on the resin system employed as well
as the substrate to which it is attached. Silanes are effective AP’s for glass and silica-containing
materials. Hence, they are used widely for Ultrahydrophobic treatments that rely on a system
package of a silanol and silica, with silane adhesion used in epoxy, urethane and acrylic systems.
Other adhesion promoters include titanates, chromiums, zircoaluminates and some monomeric
phosphate chemistries. For plastic adhesion, some chlorinated polyolefin chemistries are effective in
the improvement in adhesion of coatings to thermoplastic olefin (TPO).

The views, opinions and technical analyses presented here are those of the author or advertiser, and
are not necessarily those of ULProspector.com or UL. The appearance of this content in the UL
Prospector Knowledge Center does not constitute an endorsement by UL or its affiliates.

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Filed Under: Paint & Coatings

Tagged With: Category Deep Dive

About Marc Hirsch

Mr. Hirsch is a Senior Development Scientist and Principal Consultant
at M&M Hirsch & Associates from 2011 to present. In his career, he has
formulated architectural, industrial, military and specialty coatings. He
has also worked with and formulated adhesives, inks, and construction
products and in general is a material science generalist.

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