The three new matting agents based on precipitated silica will expand Evonik’s ACEMATT product line.
The Coating Additives Business Line of Evonik
has recently announced that it is expanding its ACEMATT® product range with three new universally applicable matting agents which are based on precipitated silica: the fine-particle products ACEMATT OK 390 and ACEMATT HK 390 and the versatile silica ACEMATT HK 520.
The three new matting agents developed by Evonik are characterised by a combination of ultra-deep matting, high transparency and extremely fine surface haptics. They can all be used universally in water- and solvent-based systems, as well as in pigmented and clear formulations.
“Due to their outstanding transparency properties, they provide a deep matte surface without a milky white haze, especially in clear coatings,” stated Maximilian Morin, the head of the Industrial & Transportation Coatings market segment at Evonik
The main application field for the new matting agents are coatings for plastics – for example on laptops or smartphones – and wood coatings, for example on parquet flooring, tabletops or kitchen countertops. In the applications on interior components for the automotive industry, such as dashboards and trim, the matting silica provides also a glare-free matte surface. Moreover, despite the small size of the particles, customers will be allowed to reach the same deep degree of matting with the same amount of powder as with products with larger particles.
“As a result, they produce a very fine surface feel. This means the same efficiency without sacrificing transparency,” commented Thomas Klotzbach, head of ACEMATT application technology.
“Now the whole ACEMATT® family consisting of surface-treated and untreated silica is complete. We have fine particle matting agents in the portfolio, plus our tried-and-true ACEMATT® OK 520 has been joined by an unwaxed variant, ACEMATT® HK 520, which performs equally well,” added Morin.
One of the advantages of the untreated silicas in ACEMATT HK 390 and ACEMATT HK 520 over waxed silica is their better orientation in water-based systems that prevents uneven particle distribution in some plastic coatings, resulting in a smooth and deep matte surface. On the other hand, the post-treatment of precipitated silica in ACEMATT OK 390 ensures that the product does not settle during storage, so it is more stable in the coating. The three new silicas show little influence on the viscosity of the formulation and have excellent dispersion behaviour.