Dow Coating Materials has introduced a new acrylic binder designed to improve hardness in low-VOC architectural coatings. The Rhoplex 800h Acrylic Binder provides coatings manufacturers with increased formulation flexibility, the company said.
The technology employs hard, soft and functional monomers in a single waterborne acrylic binder to aid in hardness and block resistance, particularly in high-gloss and deep-tone architectural paints, according to the company.
“The ongoing drive toward low- and zero-VOC capable coatings offers continuous opportunities for innovation, and as consumers seek brighter, more vibrant colors for their homes, we’re faced with solving the low-VOC hardness profile challenge,” said Fallyn Flaherty-Earp, North America architectural marketing manager, Dow Coating Materials. “Hardness and block resistance are difficult to achieve in low-VOC formulations, particularly in high-gloss and deep-tone paints with low pigment volume concentration (PVC).”
In order to address the challenge, approaches for the new binder focused on investigating post film formation crosslinking chemistries and latex particle morphology optimization, the company noted. The binder is further manufactured with without the use of APEO surfactants or solvents, the company notes. The company revealed the new technology at the Western Coatings Symposium, held in October in Las Vegas.
Dow Coating Materials is an operating business of The Dow Chemical Company, of Midland, Michigan.
