Increase durability, reduce gloss - Interior wall paints benefit from new silica

Precipitated silica is one of the classic raw materials for paints and coatings. The product properties of silica depend on many variables, including particle size, particle size distribution, and particle morphology. And whoever controls these aspects also controls the properties of the silica. Evonik's Coating Additives Business Line is now presenting its new SPHERILEX® technology. An innovative manufacturing process produces a material with a unique spherical particle morphology that gives the coating completely new advantages.

By making changes in the continuous production process, many aspects of the silica particle can be influenced, including pH, particle size, or pore volume. This leads to significant improvements in modern architectural paints. For example, wet abrasion resistance is increased and burnishing under mechanical stress is minimized.

So far, the precise adjustment of product properties has been a major challenge for formulators as well as a clear differentiator in the industry. Existing fillers have left little room for decision in the formulation of unique products. The low binder requirement when using SPHERILEX® particles leads to easy reformulation of existing formulations without affecting the basic properties of the coating material.