Architectural Coating Composition for Sag Resistance and Leveling

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Water-based architectural coating compositions face challenges in sag resistance, particularly on inclined or vertical surfaces, leading to uneven coating thickness and defects like 'curtaining' and 'tears', despite the use of traditional rheology modifiers.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating depolymerized hydroxypropyl guar with a molar substitution (MS) between 0.10 and 0.70 and a Brookfield viscosity of 500 to 20,000 mPa*s as an anti-sag agent in the coating compositions, which exhibits non-Newtonian behavior and provides effective flow, leveling, and sag resistance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional rheology modifiers are used to improve sag resistance, then sag resistance is improved, but the coating composition may exhibit poor flowability or leveling performance

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesag resistanceVSAvoidflowability and leveling
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the molecular weight parameter of the hydroxypropyl guar from conventional high molecular weight to specifically controlled low molecular weight (viscosity 500-20,000 mPa*s at 10% in water). This parameter change enables the thickener to provide adequate sag resistance while allowing sufficient flowability and leveling performance, resolving the contradiction between sag resistance and ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses a composite approach by combining depolymerized hydroxypropyl guar with other coating ingredients in specific formulations. The low molecular weight HPG works synergistically with the polymeric binder and other additives to create a balanced rheological profile that simultaneously achieves sag resistance and good flowability, avoiding the need to sacrifice one property for the other.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Reliability

If high molecular weight polymers are used as rheology modifiers, then sag resistance is improved, but the coating composition becomes too viscous and difficult to apply

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesag resistanceVSAvoidviscosity control
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent fundamentally changes the molecular weight parameter of the thickener, selecting low molecular weight hydroxypropyl guar (viscosity 500-20,000 mPa*s) instead of conventional high molecular weight polymers. This parameter change reduces the baseline viscosity contribution of the thickener, allowing the coating composition to maintain lower overall viscosity for ease of application while still providing adequate sag resistance through the specific rheological properties of the low MW HPG.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Ease of operation

If the coating composition is made more fluid to improve flowability, then ease of application is improved, but sag resistance deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveflowabilityVSAvoidsag resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the rheological parameters of the coating composition by introducing low molecular weight hydroxypropyl guar with specific viscosity characteristics (500-20,000 mPa*s). This parameter change creates a shear-thinning behavior that provides low viscosity at high shear rates (improving flowability during application) while maintaining higher viscosity at rest (providing sag resistance), thus resolving the contradiction between flowability and sag resistance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The depolymerized hydroxypropyl guar enhances sag resistance, ensuring uniform coating on various surfaces while maintaining flowability and leveling properties, reducing defects like sagging, spattering, and craters.

Implementation Method 1

the depolymerized hydroxypropyl guar... exhibits non-Newtonian behavior and provides effective flow, leveling, and sag resistance

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectNon-Newtonian behavior: Non-Newtonian Fluids

Implementation Method 2

these compositions must exhibit non-Newtonian rheology, that is, they must be shear-thinning to facilitate application

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectShear-thinning: Shear Thinning

Implementation Method 3

it must recover the viscosity after a short period of time when the applied force is removed (thixotropy)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThixotropy: Thixotropy

Implementation Method 4

The problem of sagging can be also expressed in terms of yield stress. An architectural coating composition without yield stress once applied sags under the influence of gravity. No sagging will occur if the yield stress is larger than the gravitational stress.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectYield stress:

Data Source

PatentEP4678702A1Architectural coating compositions
Publication Date: 2026.01.14 LAMBERTI SPA
  • EP4678702A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4678702A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4678702A1 patent drawing

AI summary

Water-based architectural coating compositions having improved sagging resistance due to the presence of a depolymerized hydroxypropyl guar having a molar substitution (MS) determined by 1H-NMR comprised between 0.10 and 0.70 and RVT Brookfield viscosity at 10 wt% in water, at 20 °C and 20 rpm, comprised between 500 and 20,000 mPa*s.