Solving Surface / Interfacial Tension Issues (Wetting, Leveling…)

Formulating waterborne systems requires the use of plenty of surface-active additives (wetting agents, levelers, associative thickeners, defoamers...) and it is often difficult to find the right balance in composition to achieve desired performance while minimizing side-effects.

1. Save time selecting surfactants (polysiloxanes, polyfluorsurfactants, APE-free organic surfactants...) with a detailed review of their pros & cons by an expert in additives
2. Reduce costs of your WB coatings and inks by adjusting variety and loadings of additives used to reach targeted performance
3. Achieve better balance in paint properties (wetting, adhesion, leveling, film appearance...) by efficiently controling tensions at different interfaces

Formulators, technicians, engineers, scientists & managers involved in the development of waterborne paints, inks and related ingredients and those switching from solventborne coatings

The following sections will be covered during this session:

1. Introduction: source and meaning of interfacial tension
   
   
2. Features of interfacial tension modifiers
   
   
3. Product categories (benefits & limitations)
   • Organic hydrocarbon based interfacial tension modifiers
   • Polysiloxanes
   • Polyacrylates
   • Polyfluorsurfactants
4. Achieving optimal performances
   • Adjusting interfacial tension of waterborne paints and inks
   • Adjusting interfacial tension of paints and inks for plastics, low surface tension substrates
   • Pigment wetting
   • Substrate adhesion
   • Leveling
5. Selection methodology for problem solving
   • How to avoid side-effects
   • Correction of surface tension related to paint film defects (crawling, cratering, pinholes, Benard cells, orange peeling, etc)
   • Leveling agent chemical structure depending on required features