Effective Utilization of Anchored Pigment/Extender Composite to Reduce TiO2 Crowding in High Pigment Volume Concentration Water-Based Paints

Over the years, the usage of titanium dioxide (TiO2) as an opaque pigment has exploded into many fields specifically in paints and coatings, due to its high refractive index. Theories of light scattering clearly reveal that the highest level of whiteness and opacity is achieved with certain particle size distribution and a definite physical separation between two TiO2 particles. With increased interest, there are attempts to maximize its opacity through chemical and physical modification of surface of TiO2 particle. Unlike conventional spacer technologies, we have reported an approach through anchoring the TiO2 on an inert extender thereby avoiding any crowding of the particles during paint film formation. The composite and paint film modified with composite are characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy and particle size analysis.