Cabot Corporation's Aerogel business will introduce Nanogel(R)
aerogel TLD201, a new matting agent consisting of fine particle aerogel
material, at the 2008 American Coatings Show, June 3-5, at the
Charlotte Convention Center in North Carolina, USA. The Nanogel TLD201
matting agent is specifically designed for applications requiring high
performance, such as ultra-low gloss or thermally insulative coatings.
Cabot Aerogel is located at exhibit booth # 1766.
This is the North American launch of Nanogel TLD201 as a
matting agent. TLD201 has been available in Europe for several years,
where it has been successfully tested and formulated in coatings for
wood, metal and other substrates. The material is manufactured
exclusively by Cabot using its patented processes, resulting in
properties that provide a unique combination of outstanding matting
performance, rheology modification, moisture resistance and thermal
insulation.
Nanogel TLD201 is the latest addition to Cabot's family of
fine-particle aerogel manufactured from amorphous silica that is
chemically treated to create a highly hydrophobic material. This
aerogel material has pore volumes and surface areas that range from 100
to 400 percent higher than conventional silicas.
"The extraordinary properties of Nanogel TLD201 offer
advantages traditional silicas cannot, therefore, I recommend it as an
ultra-low gloss solution to all of my clients faced with
difficult-to-matte, such as UV-cured, formulations," said Peter
Ramsgard, from Bjorn Thorsen A/S, a distributor of raw materials to
coatings manufacturers.
The structure, low density, and tailored particle size of
Nanogel aerogel TLD201 produce highly effective matting performance
through light scattering on the surface of the coating. As a result,
there is a significant reduction of gloss even in difficult-to-matte
coatings. With Nanogel TLD201, it is possible to go beyond current
low-gloss specification limits while maintaining a workable viscosity
range. The effectiveness of TLD201 also allows addition levels to be
significantly reduced without compromising matting performance.
Other benefits include scratch resistance, resistance to water
and corrosion, weatherability, reduced haziness and sedimentation, and
increased flexibility. It can be used in aqueous, 100 percent solids
and solvent-based formulations without special equipment or altering
standard manufacturing processes. Additionally, TLD201 can also be
easily blended with other silica-based matting agents or waxes to suit
certain formulations.
TLD201 also performs well as a high-performance thermal
insulator in coatings formulations, allowing thermal conductivity to be
reduced or a coating's thickness to be minimized, depending on the
application. In these applications, Nanogel aerogel is stable at high
temperatures and also provides resistance to moisture, corrosion and
weathering. It can be supplied in various particle sizes to meet a
range of film thicknesses.
Key characteristics include:
- High surface area
- High porosity
- Surface chemistry -- hydrophobic
- Tailored particle size
- Low density
- Low thermal conductivity
- Green manufacturing process and final product