Silicone additives for paints and coatings

Abstract

Silicone additives are a very widely used type of additive in coatings. Their main feature is the reduction of the surface tension of the liquid coating. Due to this very specific property they are successfully used to overcome surface defects like cratering, poor wetting and others. In addition to this, silicone additives can also enhance the surface slip of a coating, which can be used e.g. to improve the scratch resistance of the surface. The chemistry of the silicone additives and the relationship between chemistry and performance are discussed in this paper.