What additives are in water-based coatings?

What additives are used in water based coatings?

iSuoChem Marketing Department / Edited by Jason 2024-7-16

Water-based coatings have really taken off in the coatings industry. It has to thank to their eco-friendly properties and superior performance. They can be put into 4 main groups: oil-in-oil, oil-in-water, water-in-oil and water-in-water. 

Of course, water-in-water coatings, also known as water-dispersed water-based paints. This paints are particularly impressive in terms of their environmental performance and the range of applications. As a result, they've slowly but surely overtaken the other types on the market. 

Next, let's get into the main body of this article. Let's introduce in detail some of the main additives used in water-based coating systems on the market.

Additives in Water-Based Coating

Currently, in China, iSuoChem is one of the main suppliers of chemical additives. iSuoChem has grouped the mainstream coating additives on the market according to their roles in production, structure, film-forming properties and other functional improvements.

1. Production additives

During production, the manufacturers add different additives into coating to make it better and easier to make. 

These include some common additives produced by iSuoChem:

Defoamers: If air gets trapped during production, it can cause the paint to foam, which affects the quality. Defoamers are added to eliminate or at least reduce foam so that the paint is applied nice, smooth and evenly.

Wetting agents: It can lower the surface tension, which makes it easier for the coatings to spread over surfaces. They also help the paint stick to surfaces better and cover more area.

Dispersants: This kind of dispersing agents are important for evenly distributing pigments and other solid particles in the coatings. Such additives are effective in preventing coatings from clumping and ensuring that the coating has a beautiful, consistent color and texture.

Emulsifiers: Emulsifiers can help to keep the water and oil mixture nice and stable, so it's always a uniform emulsion. They're really important for keeping the water-based paint consistent and of a stable quality.

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2. Additives for Construction

When you're using coatings, you can use certain additives to make the painting process easier and get a better final result. 

These include some common additives in the coating markets manufacturerd by iSuoChem:

Film Formers: They're really important to make sure the coating dries to a smooth, continuous film. They can make the paint film more durable and look better.

Leveling agents: To get a nice, even finish, it's a good idea to add leveling agents in paint. They help the paint to flow evenly over the surface, which means your users get a nice, smooth finish without any brush marks or other imperfections.

Adhesion promoters: People like to use adhesion promoters to help paint stick to different surfaces.

These above additives make the paint stick better to different surfaces, so it lasts longer.

3. Functional Additives

When people try to give water-based paints some extra properties, they will consider to use different functional additives. 

Mildew inhibitors: Mildew inhibitor stops mildew and mould growing on painted surfaces, so the paint lasts longer and looks quite good.

Bactericides: Bactericides are added to stop bacteria growing in the coatings. So they can stay free from microbes when they are stored and after they are been used.

Anti-pollution agents: These additives can protect the paint film from environmental pollutants. It can make coatings more durable and keeping it looking good for longer.

After finishing in reading the above article,  you can find that additives are really important in water-based coatings (water based paints). They make these paints better in terms of how well they perform, the quality they offer and how easy they are to use, so they're suitable for lots of different surfaces and conditions in coatings. By choosing and adding the right additives, our customers can make water-based coatings work better in different situations.