Coatings World - August 2009

EUROPE

International Coatings Scene

even during the recession.”

“Because of our size we can be faster and more flexible than other companies,” he said. “We can also provide a good technical support service. As customers become more interested in innovations they expect their suppliers to put more into technical backup.”

Interpolymer has recently increased its R&D personnel to put even more emphasis on research. Among its latest innovations are dispersions and binders enabling waterborne primers to provide the same stain-blocking performance as solventborne ones.

Resiquimica, a Portuguese-based medium-sized resins producer, is close to commercializing a technology that can provide a partial replacement of titanium dioxide in coatings. It comprises a waterborne emulsion of cross-linked unsaturated polyester particles with air voids whose relatively high refraction index gives the dispersion an above-average level of opacity. This allows coatings producers to reduce the TiO2 content in their formulations.

A number of chemical companies in Europe, North America and Asia have over the past decade being trying to develop technologies using the light-scattering properties of voids within polymer or metallic microstructures as a partial TiO2 replacement.

“We think we have resolved the difficulties of developing a production process for this technology,” said Jorge Moniz, Resiquimica’s technical director. “Customers are interested in innovations which cut costs. Once the recession is over TiO2 prices will go up so this will be a useful technology, while it will also enable us to expand our product portfolio.”

The market launch of innovations can be delayed because of the need for customers and other companies along the supply chain to test them first. But with some companies the recession seems to be speeding up the testing procedure.

“Testing of samples can take months or years,” said Russell Clarke, business manager at Thomas Swan & Co., a specialty chemicals SME, based in northeast

England. “But we are finding that at the moment there are some companies who want to move quickly and get the testing process done as soon as possible.”

Thomas Swan is currently producing from a pilot plant samples of an additive

comprising inorganic-organic hybrid silsesquioxanes, which have a high degree of anti-abrasion and heat resistance. The innovation has been developed in partnership with TWI, a research company at Cambridge, England. CW

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