Defoamers in the coatings industry

Abstract

Foam bubbles can be a very severe problem in all kinds of coating systems. Mechanisms of foam stabilization and mechanisms of defoamers are briefly reviewed. The chemistry of different defoamer classes (mineral oil defoamers, silicone defoamers, silicone-free polymeric defoamers) together with their typical application areas are discussed. Information about defoamer selection and evaluation methods is given.