Paint formulation - Pigments and colorants

This form presents the main characteristics of the pigments and colorants used in paint formulation and studied in paragraphs 3.3 and 3.4 of the general article. "Paint formulation. Physical chemistry and powder materials".

Although not exhaustive, the list of pigments (tables 1 to 5 ) and colorants (table 6 ) highlights the great diversity of these raw materials available to the formulator. These powder materials are generally used in mixtures with fillers, each of which contributes to the paint's final properties. Two examples illustrate this criterion.

In these paints, titanium dioxide in rutile form is combined with calcium carbonates to mask the color or color contrasts of the substrate by opacity after drying. This property is due to its high refractive index (see article § 2.6.1 , table 11).

In anticorrosion primers, zinc orthophosphate is combined with basic zinc chromate. This synergy provides enhanced protection for metal substrates against aggressive species in the environment in which they are exposed.

Less widely used than pigments, they find their application, for example, in the development of wood stains.

For further information, see and published in Techniques de l'Ingénieur.