PAINT

Paint is any liquid, liquefiable, or mastic composition which after application

to a substrate in a thin layer is converted to an opaque solid film. It is most
commonly used to protect, color or provide texture to objects.
- COMPONENTS
Pigment
Main article: Pigment
Pigments are granular solids incorporated into the paint to contribute color, to
ughness, texture or simply to reduce the cost of the paint. Alternatively, some
paints contain dyes instead of or in combination with pigments.
Pigments can be classified as either natural or synthetic types. Natural pigment
s include various clays, calcium carbonate, mica, silicas, and talcs. Synthetics
would include engineered molecules, calcined clays, blanc fixe, precipitated ca
lcium carbonate, and synthetic pyrogenic silicas.
Hiding pigments, in making paint opaque, also protect the substrate from the har
mful effects of ultraviolet light. Hiding pigments include titanium dioxide, pht
halo blue, red iron oxide, and many others.
Fillers are a special type of pigment that serve to thicken the film, support it
s structure and simply increase the volume of the paint. Fillers are usually mad
e of cheap and inert materials, such as diatomaceous earth, talc, lime, barytes,
clay, etc. Floor paints that will be subjected to abrasion may even contain fin
e quartz sand as a filler. Not all paints include fillers. On the other hand som
e paints contain very large proportions of pigment/filler and binder.
Some pigments are toxic, such as the lead pigments that are used in lead paint.
Paint manufacturers began replacing white lead pigments with the less toxic subs
titute, titanium white (titanium dioxide), even before lead was functionally ban
ned in paint for residential use in 1978 by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Com
mission. The titanium dioxide used in most paints today is often coated with sil
ica or alumina for various reasons such as better exterior durability, or better
hiding performance (opacity) via better efficiency promoted by more optimal spa
cing within the paint film.
Binder, vehicle, or resins
The binder, commonly referred to as the vehicle, is the actual film forming comp
onent of paint. It is the only component that must be present; other components
listed below are included optionally, depending on the desired properties of the
cured film.
The binder imparts adhesion, binds the pigments together, and strongly influence
s such properties as gloss potential, exterior durability, flexibility, and toug
hness.
Binders include synthetic or natural resins such as alkyds, acrylics, vinyl-acry
lics, vinyl acetate/ethylene (VAE), polyurethanes, polyesters, melamine resins,
epoxy, or oils.
Binders can be categorized according to drying, or curing mechanism. The four mo
st common are simple solvent evaporation, oxidative crosslinking, catalyzed/cros
s linked polymerization, and coalescence. There are others.
Note that drying and curing are two different processes. Drying generally refers
to evaporation of the solvent or thinner,[1] whereas curing refers to polymeriz
ation of the binder. (The term "vehicle" is industrial jargon which is used inco
nsistently, sometimes to refer to the solvent and sometimes to refer to the bind
er.) Depending on chemistry and composition, any particular paint may undergo ei
ther, or both processes. Thus, there are paints that dry only, those that dry th
en cure, and those that do not depend on drying for curing.[2]
Paints that dry by simple solvent evaporation and contain a solid binder dissolv
ed in a solvent are known as lacquers. A solid film forms when the solvent evapo
rates, and because the film can re-dissolve in solvent, lacquers are not suitabl
e for applications where chemical resistance is important. Classic nitrocellulos
e lacquers fall into this category, as do non-grain raising stains composed of d
yes dissolved in solvent and more modern acrylic based coatings such as 5-ball K
rylon aerosol. Performance varies by formulation, but lacquers generally tend to
have better UV resistance and lower corrosion resistance than comparable system
s that cure by polymerization or coalescence.
Latex paint is a water-borne dispersion of sub-micrometre polymer particles. The
term "latex" in the context of paint simply means an aqueous dispersion; latex
rubber (the sap of the rubber tree that has historically been called latex) is n
ot an ingredient. These dispersions are prepared by emulsion polymerization. Lat
ex paints cure by a process called coalescence where first the water, and then t
he trace, or coalescing, solvent, evaporate and draw together and soften the lat
ex binder particles and fuse them together into irreversibly bound networked str
uctures, so that the paint will not redissolve in the solvent/water that origina
lly carried it. Residual surfactants in the paint as well as hydrolytic effects
with some polymers cause the paint to remain susceptible to softening and, over
time, degradation by water.
Paints that cure by oxidative crosslinking are generally single package coatings
. When applied, the exposure to oxygen in the air starts a process that crosslin
ks and polymerizes the binder component. Classic alkyd enamels would fall into t
his category. Oxidative cure coatings are catalyzed by metal complex driers such
as cobalt naphthenate.
Paints that cure by "catalyzed" polymerization are generally two package coating
s that polymerize by way of a chemical reaction initiated by mixing resin and cu
ring agent/hardener, and which cure by forming a hard plastic structure. Dependi
ng on composition they may need to dry first, by evaporation of solvent. Classic
two package epoxies or polyurethanes would fall into this category.[2] The word
catalyst is a misnomer as catalyst should not be part of the polymer. Cobalt dr
iers are catalysts, iso cyanates and epoxy adducts are not.[citation needed]
There are paints called plastisols/organosols, which are made by blending PVC gr
anules with a plasticiser. These are stoved and the mix coalesceses.
Still other films are formed by cooling of the binder. For example, encaustic or
wax paints are liquid when warm, and harden upon cooling. In many cases, they w
ill resoften or liquify if reheated.
Recent environmental requirements restrict the use of Volatile Organic Compounds
(VOCs), and alternative means of curing have been developed, particularly for i
ndustrial purposes. In UV curing paints, the solvent is evaporated first, and ha
rdening is then initiated by ultraviolet light. In powder coatings there is litt
le or no solvent, and flow and cure are produced by heating of the substrate aft
er electrostatic application of the dry powder.
Solvent
The main purposes of the solvent are to adjust the curing properties and viscosi
ty of the paint. It is volatile and does not become part of the paint film. It a
lso controls flow and application properties, and affects the stability of the p
aint while in liquid state. Its main function is as the carrier for the non vola
tile components. In order to spread heavier oils (i.e. linseed) as in oil-based
interior housepaint, a thinner oil is required. These volatile substances impart
their properties temporarily once the solvent has evaporated or disintegrated, th
e remaining paint is fixed to the surface.
This component is optional: some paints have no diluent.
Water is the main diluent for water-borne paints, even the co-solvent types.
Solvent-borne, also called oil-based, paints can have various combinations of so
lvents as the diluent, including aliphatics, aromatics, alcohols, ketones and wh
ite spirit. These include organic solvents such as petroleum distillate, esters,
glycol ethers, and the like. Sometimes volatile low-molecular weight synthetic
resins also serve as diluents. Such solvents are used when water resistance, gre
ase resistance, or similar properties are desired.
Additives
Besides the three main categories of ingredients, paint can have a wide variety
of miscellaneous additives, which are usually added in very small amounts and ye
t give a very significant effect on the product. Some examples include additives
to modify surface tension, improve flow properties, improve the finished appear
ance, increase wet edge, improve pigment stability, impart antifreeze properties
, control foaming, control skinning, etc. Other types of additives include catal
ysts, thickeners, stabilizers, emulsifiers, texturizers, adhesion promoters, UV
stabilizers, flatteners (de-glossing agents), biocides to fight bacterial growth
, and the like.
Additives normally do not significantly alter the percentages of individual comp
onents in a formulation.[3]
- Color changing paint
Various technologies exist for making paints that change color. Thermochromic pa
ints and coatings contain materials that change conformation when heat is applie
d, and so they change color. Liquid crystals have been used in such paints, such
as in the thermometer strips and tapes used in fishtanks. Photochromic paints a
nd coatings contain dyes that change conformation when the film is exposed to UV
light, and so they change color. These materials are used to make eyeglasses.
Electrochromic paints change color in response to an applied electric current. C
ar manufacturer Nissan has been reportedly working on an electrochromic paint fo
r use in its vehicles, based on particles of paramagnetic iron oxide. When subje
cted to an electromagnetic field the paramagnetic particles change spacing, modi
fying their color and reflective properties. The electromagnetic field would be
formed using the conductive metal of the car body.[4] Electrochromic paints can
be applied to plastic substrates as well, using a different coating chemistry. T
he technology involves using special dyes that change conformation when an elect
ric current is applied across the film itself. Recently, this new technology has
been used to achieve glare protection at the touch of a button in passenger air
plane windows.
- PRODUCT VARIANTS
Primer is a preparatory coating put on materials before painting. Priming ensure
s better adhesion of paint to the surface, increases paint durability, and provi
des additional protection for the material being painted. It can also be used to
block and seal stains, or to hide a color that is to be painted over.
Emulsion paint is a water-based paint used for painting interior or exterior sur
faces.
Varnish and shellac provide a protective coating without changing the color. The
y are paints without pigment.
Wood stain is a type of paint that is very "thin," that is, low in viscosity, an
d formulated so that the pigment penetrates the surface rather than remaining in
a film on top of the surface. Stain is predominantly pigment or dye and solvent
with little binder, designed primarily to add color without providing a surface
coating.
Lacquer is usually a fast-drying solvent-based paint or varnish that produces an
especially hard, durable finish.
An enamel paint is a paint that dries to an especially hard, usually glossy, fin
ish. Enamel paints sometimes contain glass powder or tiny metal flake fragments
instead of the color pigments found in standard oil-based paints. Enamel paint i
s sometimes mixed with varnish or urethane to increase shine as well as assist i
ts hardening process.
A glaze is an additive used with paint to slow drying time and increase transluc
ency, as in faux painting and Art Painting.
A roof coating is a fluid applied membrane which has elastic properties that all
ows it to stretch and return to their original shape without damage. It provides
UV protection to polyurethane foam and is widely used as part of a roof restora
tion system.
Fingerpaint is a kind of paint intended to be applied with the fingers; it typic
ally comes in pots and is used by small children, though it has very occasionall
y been used by adults either to teach art to children, or for their own independ
ent use.
Inks are similar to paints, except they are typically made using finely ground p
igments or dyes, and are designed so as not to leave a thick film of binder.
Titanium dioxide is extensively used for both house paint and artist's paint, be
cause it is permanent and has good covering power. Titanium dioxide pigment acco
unts for the largest use of the element. Titanium paint is an excellent reflecto
r of infrared, and is extensively used in solar observatories where heat causes
poor seeing conditions.
Anti-graffiti coatings are used to defeat the marking of surfaces by graffiti va
ndals. There are two categories, sacrificial and non-bonding. Sacrificial coatin
gs are clear coatings that allow the removal of graffiti, usually by pressure wa
shing the surface with high-pressure water, removing the graffiti, and the coati
ng (hence, sacrificed). They must be re-applied afterward for continued protecti
on. This is most commonly used on natural-looking masonry surfaces, such as stat
uary and marble walls, and on rougher surfaces that are difficult to clean. Non-
bonding coatings are clear, high-performance coatings, usually catalyzed polyure
thanes, that allow the graffiti very little to bond to. After the graffiti is di
scovered, it can be removed with the use of a solvent wash, without damaging the
underlying substrate or protective coating. These work best when used on smooth
er surfaces, and especially over other painted surfaces, including murals.
Anti-climb paint is a non-drying paint that appears normal while still being ext
remely slippery. It is usually used on drainpipes and ledges to deter burglars a
nd vandals from climbing them, and is found in many public places. When a person
attempts to climb objects coated with the paint, it rubs off onto the climber,
as well as making it hard for them to climb.