Solvay has launched Reactsurf® 2490, a new emulsifier designed to improve the performance of coatings and adhesives.
Solvay introduced Reactsurf® 2490, a new APE-free polymerizable surfactant designed as a primary emulsifier for acrylic, vinyl-acrylic and styrene-acrylic latex systems. Reactsurf® 2490 improves emulsion performance by providing superior functional and aesthetic advantages in external coatings and pressure sensitive adhesives (PSAs), compared to conventional surfactants, even at elevated temperatures.
Reactsurf® 2490 can be also used in paint binders, adhesives and sealants, textile and nonwoven binders, paper coatings, and building and construction applications.
Reactsurf® 2490 is reactive and easily incorporated during the emulsion polymerization reaction. It eliminates the need for secondary emulsifiers, thus facilitating the quick and simple design of new latexes.
Currently available in Asia, Europe and Latin America, Reactsurf® 2490 is REACH certified. It also ensures compliance with increasingly stringent regulatory requirements for APE-free solutions. Its combination of properties includes low dynamic surface tension and critical micelle concentration, good particle size control, low grit and low foaming, which in turn allow for improved film hardness and anti-blocking.
“Exterior coatings and pressure sensitive adhesives are both prone to surfactant leaching. In exterior coatings exposed to harsh environmental conditions, leaching leads to dirt pick-up and water marks, while it leads to water whitening in PSAs. Reactsurf® 2490 prevents surfactant migration, which improves water-whitening resistance for PSAs and dirt pick-up resistance for exterior coatings. This means clear label products retain their original appearance, and exterior surfaces remain clean and dirt free”, explains Sel Avci, Coatings Global Marketing & New Business Development Director.
In tests of elastomeric coating binders, Reactsurf® 2490 provided better blocking resistance and superior dirt pick-up resistance after three months of outdoor exposure. Initial tests have also demonstrated improved water-whitening resistance in PSA applications.