Paint Additive Technologies to Enhance Performance and Reduce Costs

As environmental regulations tighten, low-VOC and non-VOC waterborne systems have become the wave of the future. On their own, these water-based paints and coatings tend to exhibit poor wetting when applied to pre-waxed, oily or contaminated surfaces, causing streaking, craters and other visible defects. Now, 3M has developed a new anionic fluorochemical surfactant specifically formulated to prevent surface defect in aqueous paints and coatings systems.

Based on 3M's advanced PFBS-based C4 chemistry platform, newly-released 3M™ Fluorosurfactant FC-5120 features an anionic formulation for excellent wetting, leveling and spreading in water-based paints and coatings. 3M fluorosurfactant FC-5120 has shown an outstanding ability to reduce surface tension and improve performance in permanent industrial coatings – and help prevent paint surface defects even on hard-to-wet surfaces.

Learn more about 3M™ Fluorosurfactant FC-5120

3M™ Fluorosurfactants are a family of advanced wetting and leveling agents, used to improve performance in a broad range of aqueous and solvent-borne coatings, including paints, resins, adhesives, inks, clearcoats, floor coverings and more. These non-ionic polymeric fluorosurfactants offer unmatched control of surface defects such as orange peel, cratering, fish eyes and picture framing, while providing improved performance on hard-to-wet surfaces such as plastics and oily metals.

What's more, 3M fluorosurfactants help to maintain low surface tension throughout the entire drying process. This helps to create smoother, higher gloss coatings.