Metallic Effect Pigment Additive for Shelf Life and Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Metallic effect pigments face issues with shelf life due to unsaturated fatty acids' propensity for polymerization, leading to irreversible agglomerations, and they do not provide improved mechanical properties when incorporated into application media like paints or inks without costly surface modification.
Innovation Solution
A metallic effect pigment with an additive comprising a carboxylic acid having at least 4 carbon atoms and a polyglycol ether, bonded covalently, is used during grinding to enhance shelf life and mechanical stability, allowing for improved orientation and reflection properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If unsaturated fatty acids are used as lubricants during grinding, then the metallic effect pigments can be produced with good surface properties, but the shelf life is reduced due to polymerization leading to irreversible agglomerations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the lubricant from conventional fatty acids to a specific additive containing a carboxylic acid group and a polyglycol ether chain. This parameter change allows the lubricant to prevent agglomeration without undergoing harmful polymerization, thus extending shelf life while maintaining grinding effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a stable, non-polymerizing additive that can be used in conventional grinding processes without the long-term stability issues of unsaturated fatty acids. This allows for effective lubrication during processing without the need for costly surface modification steps later.
2Ease of manufacture
If metallic effect pigments are incorporated into application media without surface modification, then the production process is simplified, but mechanical properties such as abrasion resistance and stability are impaired
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the additive to the metallic effect pigment surface during the grinding process itself, before the pigment is incorporated into the application medium. This preliminary action ensures that the pigment particles are pre-coated with the stable additive, providing improved mechanical properties without requiring subsequent surface modification steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the lubrication function and surface modification function into a single additive and a single grinding process step. The additive simultaneously provides lubrication during grinding and creates a stable surface coating that improves mechanical properties in the final application, eliminating the need for separate surface modification operations.
3Productivity
If conventional lubricants like oleic acid or stearic acid are used, then the grinding process is effective, but additional surface modification steps are required to improve mechanical stability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent develops a multifunctional additive that performs both lubrication during grinding and surface modification for mechanical stability. This single additive replaces the need for separate lubricants and surface modification agents, reducing the number of process steps while maintaining grinding efficiency and improving mechanical properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the lubrication function and surface modification function into a single additive and a single grinding process step. The additive simultaneously provides lubrication during grinding and creates a stable surface coating that improves mechanical properties in the final application, eliminating the need for separate surface modification operations.
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 additive improves the shelf life and mechanical stability of metallic effect pigments, enabling high gloss and brilliance while reducing agglomeration and enhancing insertion into application media without the need for costly surface modification.
Implementation Method 1
The unsaturated fatty acids have a propensity toward polymerization. In the case of the pigments, which are stored mostly in the form of pigment paste or pigment powder, this results in irreversible agglomerations.
Implementation Method 2
it is necessary for the metallic effect pigments to be oriented largely plane-parallel in the application medium, in order to provide directed reflection of the incident light
Data Source
AI summary
A metallic effect pigment with an additive, the additive being applied on at least a portion of the metallic effect pigment. The additive comprises, as structural units, at least one carboxylic acid having at least 4 carbon atoms and also at least one polyglycol ether. The carboxylic acid and the polyglycol ether are bonded covalently to one another. The disclosure is also directed to a method for producing these metallic effect pigments, and to the use thereof, as well as to a printing ink comprising the pigments.