Biosilico is a synthesized nanoporous silica derived from rice husk. Its highly customisable nature displays its potential as an excellent performance enhancing additives in paint and coatings. Following the recent series of tests, BSB Development & Investment Co., Ltd. announces the launch of the bio-based performance enhancing additive under the name of Biosilico PC00.0103 as an anti-settling agent.
In heavily pigments paints & coatings, anti-settling agents are most pertinent during transportation and storage where the paint experiences low shear stress and is required to have a high, low-shear viscosity. Biosilico products form a 3-dimensional soft network depending on polarity of the system which offsets gravitational forces and prevents settling of dense pigments and extenders. Biosilico products also act as spacers in heavily pigmented formulations prevents formation of pigments agglomerates or aggregates during storage.
Therefore, Biosilico products were evaluated in typical interior architectural coating formulation along with competitor’s product, and a control formulation without anti-settling additives, to evaluate their efficacy. Additionally, all formulations were tinted with the same concentration of pre-dispersed phthalocyanine blue pigment to evaluate their efficacy in pigmented formulations
apart from white base.
1) Anti-settling & Anti-sagging
Biosilco proved to exhibit thixotropic property and comparative anti-settling and anti-sagging behaviour to commercial fumed silica used in paints and coatings.
Figure 1: Anti-sagging test: Control (left) vs Biosilico (right)
2) Storage Stability
Minor syneresis was observed on all the paint formulations however no pigment flooding or floating was detected. Paints containing Biosilico products were easily re- dispersible.
3) Heat age stability
The paint formulations subjected to two weeks in 110F (43.3°C) were applied onto Lenta charts at 4 mils wet film thickness to test for heat age stability. Neither the base nor tinted formulations showed aggregates or agglomerates.
4) Deaerator
The microstructure of Biosilico showed the potential to be used as a deaerator in paints and coatings. Deaerators facilitate the release of entrapped air in waterborne and solvent-borne paints and coatings without changing the surface tension nor affecting the substrate wetting.
Figure 2: Low Sheer Viscosity of paint formulations: Initial Vs Ambient, Heat Aged
Sourced from rice husks, Biosilico PC00.0103 rheology control performance is comparable to highly energy intensive fumed silica. Biosilico PC00.0103 can be used as an effective anti-settling and anti-sagging agent and pigment stabilizer, while reducing phase separation in paints and coatings as well as displaying the capability to be used as a deaerator.
The launch of the Biosilico PC00.0103 as an anti-settling agent is an important milestone in the continuous product development program to establish Biosilico brand as a performance enhancing additive with comparable results to commercial fumed silica for the Paints and Coatings industry. For further information of Biosilico PC00.0103, please contact us on sales@bsb.org.vn or visit our website https://www.biosilico.vn/anti-settling.