Innovation for more sustainable coatings
As a deeptech company, our foundation is built on innovation. Our Research and Development teams strive daily to eco-design new solutions for the water-based coatings industry. Our goal is to meet the needs of our customers while also being sustainable. We are compliant with regulations evolutions, environmentally friendly, with reduced global warming potential, while being highly performing with long-lasting performances.
Bio-based polymers synthesis and emulsification
We are specialized in high bio-based content polymers of the so called “alkyd” type, which is polyester–based chemistry.
As a matter of fact, polyester polymers chemistry match several of the 12 principles of green chemistry. This is due to the few chemicals steps needed, the environmental profile and accessibilty of raw materials like oil-seed derivatives and polyols.
Of course, some demanding applications, as for example metal protection, require to strengthen the backbone of alkyds. For this purpose we have also developed an expertise around hybrids polymers, such as Polyurethane Alkyd modifed (APU), which requires to lower the biobased content down to 40-70%.
We hope to improve further the bio-based origin of our hybrid grades as more and more renewable building blocks become available over the years.
In our coating world, having a performing polymer is not enough. You need also to master the art of emulsifying or dispersing it to achieve a 40 up to 50% solid content ready to use water-based binder.
With our team of scientists and the support of our LCA experts, we are able to play on the polymer skeleton to adapt it and balance:
- hardness and flexibility
- drying speed and ageing
- chemical and UV resistance
- hydrophobicity
- Etc.
At the same time, we are watching out for the environmental impacts, with a special focus on reducing the carbon footprint.
Knowing that surfactant brings hydrophilicity and can thus impact the water resistance or hydrophobicity of the final coating film, Ecoat has developed surfactant free technology. The latter is based on patented pickering stabilization technology.
This interesting technology, discovered by the British chemist S.U Pickering in 1907* and later named after him, bypass the use of surfactants in the water-based coatings. This technology consists in using solid particles such as silica or clay to help stabilizing the interface of two immiscible liquids, such as oil and water.
By using solid particles instead of surfactants to stabilize the emulsion, the Pickering emulsions can offer a number of advantages over conventional emulsions. The irreversible absorption of solid particles functions as a rigid barrier against aggregation of particles and coalescence allowing to improve the stability and durability (less hydrophilic film, avoid plasticizer effect of surfactant…).
*Pickering, S.U., Emulsion, Journal of the Chemical Society, Vol. 91, 2001- 2021
Formulation for bio-based coatings
We have developed an expertise in formulations, especially the ones containing bio-based ingredients to guide our customers. This helps to enhance the final properties and avoid any development hurdle that may be faced, such as compatibility issues in case of complex formulations.
We are equipped with mixing tools of different size and equipements such as:
- Wet scrub resistance testing,
- MFFT (minimum film forming temperature),
- QUV,
- Salt Spray test,
- DLS to characterize micelles size distribution,
- Coatings characterization tests : hardness & tensile strength.
Our team of multi-specialists continuously upgrade orientation formulations to develop reduced carbon footprint solutions, following the specific technical requests of Architectural, Wood or Metal coatings.
We are collaborating with other additives suppliers to provide tips of formulation according to best in class and market additives references.
We are also testing regularly innovative ingredients that could advantageously be combined with our bio-based binders to further reduce the carbon footprint
Depending on customers needs and ressources, we are even able to accompany them in their paints eco-design.
Technological and scientific partnerships
Together we go further !
We are happy to highlight our key partners for innovation:
