Pigment/dispersant interactions in water‐based coatings

Various types of ionic and non‐ionic dispersants have been classified by their ability to stabilise titanium dioxide pigment suspensions in water. It was found that some non‐ionic dispersants produced suspensions that exhibited full steric stabilisation as opposed to electrosteric stabilisation that occurs with ionic dispersants. A high level of steric stabilisation was found to relate to greater flocculation resistance in both the wet and dry phases, which can result in improved paint stability and higher opacity.