Coating Composition Using Ground Calcium Carbonate to Reduce TiO2 Costs
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for alternative pigments or coating compositions that provide improved optical properties such as opacity, contrast ratio, and whiteness at lower costs, which can also serve as enhancers for high-performance pigments like titanium dioxide without compromising their optical properties.
Innovation Solution
A coating composition comprising a binder and ground natural calcium carbonate with specific particle size distribution and surface area characteristics, allowing for reduced titanium dioxide consumption while maintaining or improving optical properties, and being produced at lower costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If titanium dioxide is used to provide high opacity and contrast ratio, then optical properties are improved, but production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines ground natural calcium carbonate (providing opacity through scattering) with titanium dioxide (providing contrast ratio through absorption) to create a synergistic pigment system. This merging allows the formulation to achieve high optical performance while reducing the proportion and cost of titanium dioxide compared to using TiO2 alone at equivalent opacity levels
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite pigment system consisting of calcium carbonate and titanium dioxide in specific ratios and particle size distributions. This composite approach leverages the complementary optical properties of both materials - calcium carbonate's high scattering efficiency and titanium dioxide's high absorption - to achieve superior opacity and contrast ratio at reduced cost compared to titanium dioxide-only formulations
2Illumination intensity
If ground natural calcium carbonate with smaller particle size is used to improve opacity, then optical properties improve, but the material requires more surface area treatment and processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the particle size distribution parameters of ground natural calcium carbonate, specifying a volume median diameter (d50) range of 0.5-2.0 μm and volume top cut (d98) range of 2.0-10.0 μm. By defining specific parameter ranges rather than using ultrafine particles, the formulation achieves adequate opacity while avoiding the excessive surface area treatment and processing complexity that would result from smaller particle sizes
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 coating composition achieves enhanced optical properties including improved contrast ratio, whiteness, and reduced yellowness, while reducing the overall consumption and costs of high-performance pigments, and can be used as a titanium dioxide enhancer.
Implementation Method 1
Mineral pigments are widely used in coating systems, not only to decrease formulation costs but further to improve certain properties of the coating formulation
Implementation Method 2
pigments providing for high opacity and high contrast ratio
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a coating composition comprising at least one binder and at least one ground natural calcium carbonate material. The invention further relates to the use of at least one ground natural calcium carbonate material in a coating composition comprising at least one binder as well as to an article that is coated with such a coating composition and a paint comprising such a coating composition.