Performance Polymers

All Paints Are Not Created Equal

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In its most basic form, paint is simply a layer of material that provides color and protection. The first paints, used to decorate cave walls in prehistoric times, consisted mostly of mashed fruit. Today, Rohm and Haas, the worldwide leader in water-based acrylic technology, designs specialized polymers used by paint producers for a wide variety of applications.

Each of Rohm and Haas's Coatings polymers is engineered to meet customers' needs. Paints must cover a surface well, for instance, and hide whatever's underneath. They must be easy and cost-effective to use. They must be durable and long-lasting in the face of myriad stress factors. And they must offer superior environmental safety.

Rohm and Haas develops and produces Coatings products that deliver each of these properties in forms that are suitable for a range of uses. To study the long-term performance of new paint products, the company maintains 15 research labs and outdoor testing facilities in a variety of climates on four continents. And because Rohm and Haas's Coatings systems are water-based, they offer far better environmental characteristics than solvent-based products.

Opaque polymers

Rohm and Haas's Ropaque® opaque polymers are spherical particles that become hollow as the paint's water content evaporates. These microvoids, as they are called, refract light in a way that greatly improves a paint's color performance. Think of snowflakes: they are made of clear water, yet their shape bends sunlight to make them a radiant white. In much the same way, Rohm and Haas's opaque polymers greatly increase a paint's color performance and its ability to cover the surface beneath. For these reasons, opaque polymers also allow paint producers to reduce the amount of pigments they use in their products. Customers receive high performance at attractive prices.

Rheology modifiers

Paints present a number of challenges for chemists who study "rheology," a liquid's ability to flow well. A quality paint must be thick while it's in the can, yet thin when it's brushed onto a wall, and then thick again when it "sets up" on the surface to dry. It must also be able to flow well enough to eliminate the marks made by brushes and rollers. The first paint additives to address these specifications were natural substances like cellulose. But because they were subject to fluctuations in the seasons and the weather, and because they were vulnerable to the effects of enzymes and bacteria, they were terribly inconsistent.

Rohm and Haas invented rheology modifiers that use acrylic polymer technology to deliver consistently superior performance. The peculiar shape of these specialty molecules allows paints to be applied much more quickly and easily-without dripping or spattering, for instance. Their interlocking branches also help paints cover a surface much more evenly. Rohm and Haas rheology modifiers are especially valuable in high-gloss paints, which use very small polymer particles to deliver high levels of sheen.

Multilobe polymers

Rohm and Haas's Multilobe® polymers greatly improve a paint's transfer from the brush or roller to the wall. Other polymer particles are perfectly round and smooth, like a ball bearing-which means they offer very little "traction" when the paint is applied. Using complex manufacturing techniques, Rohm and Haas developed polymers with the unique Multilobe shape. These particles greatly increase the traction available to help a paint grab a wall's surface. With the right amount of Multilobe polymers in each paint formulation, customers receive faster, easier application and a thicker layer of paint.

Rohm and Haas's many acrylic products for Coatings and other applications are backed up by an unparalleled global infrastructure. The company's Deer Park, Texas, facility is the world's largest producer of acrylic monomers from commodity chemicals like propylene and acetone. And Rohm and Haas engineers have ensured that each of the company's polymer products is produced precisely the same way in each of its 31 acrylic emulsion sites around the world. The result is an unbeatable combination of specialty products and reliable delivery to customers.

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