Volume 1 Issue 1
This is the inaugural issue of our new e-mail news letter. The Missouri S&T Coatings Institute News will cover what is new at Missouri S&T as well as briefs on research and a HELP! section which discusses a question or defines an issue of current importance to coatings science. We hope you will enjoy this free news letter and please visit our web site. We will have all the old news letters archived on our web site as well as other information such as our short courses. Spring is almost here and production will be increasing for many companies as the temperature rises and more paint is consumed. Remember our short courses for your new employees. Basic Composition is March 22-26 and Formulation is April 26-30. For details on these courses and our new on-line "Coatings for Engineers" course click on our web site http://coatings.mst.edu. If you know of others who would like to receive this news letter, have them send us an e-mail and we will be happy to include them. Technical Insights on Coatings Science When latex resin is made, a surfactant is used to form a micelle which is a spherical aggregate of surfactant molecules. Micelles require a set number of surfactant molecules to get together to form the micelle. It may require 42 surfactant molecules to form one micelle. The size of the latex particle is determined by the amount of added monomer which polymerizes in the micelle. Since all latex particles which used the same micelle will have the same number of surfactant molecules, the smaller latex particle would have a larger percentage of its mass as surfactant. Since the surfactant will not act as a binder but detract from the performance, the smaller the latex particle the poorer will be its performance. Larger latex particles will reduce the hide, increase coalescent time and in general be less efficient. The general 0.1 micron range represents a compromise in properties.
Why are most latex resins about 0.1 microns in diameter? Is there a topic you would like discussed? Contact us by e-mail at coatings@mst.edu. |
| March 22-26/04 Basic Composition of Coatings This course provides an overview of the components of paint and how they work. Participants are also introduced to methods for testing and manufacture of paint. |
| April 26-30/0 Introduction to Paint Formulation This course provides techniques used in formulating paint from raw materials. It involves formulating and making paint in the laboratory, "Hand on!" |
| Coatings for Engineers available on-line anytime This course is designed to educate engineers in coatings science. Coatings systems will be covered from cleaning and surface prep to pretreatment, priming and topcoats. Specification and testing sections will aid all engineers who are charged with these tasks. |