The surface of coatings and inks is exposed to "the outside world" and has to withstand some severe circumstances which may lead to a fast degradation of the system itself. Besides this, the surface is also responsible for the appearance of the coating, like the gloss and the "feel". It all starts at the surface.
In most cases, superior surface properties can not be achieved without the addition of selected additives that alter the surface properties of the coating - in other words: Surface Modifying Additives.Depending on the kind of Additive used, the following properties can be altered:
1. Water repellency.
2. Mar-, Slip- & Scratch resistance.
3. Abrasion Resistance.
4. Increased - or decreased - gloss.
5. Flow and leveling.
6. Soft - Silky - feel of the coating.
7. Anti-Blocking properties.
8. Surface Texture.
Why modify the surface properties of Coatings?
There are basically two reasons for changing the surface of a coating. The first one is the need to lower the surface tension / surface energy in order to achieve certain properties that depend on this.