Surfactants in water-borne paints

The main uses of surfactants in water-borne coatings are discussed. Special attention is put on the use of surfactants in latex polymerization and in post-emulsification of binders, such as alkyd resins. The advantage of poly merizable surfactants as emulsifier is pointed out and the use of atomic fo rce microscopy (AFM) to observe differences in film properties between form ulations based on polymerizable surfactants and on conventional surfactants is illustrated. The paper further discusses the problem of competitive ads orption between surfactants and between surfactant and associative thickene r in paint formulations. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved .