The Versatility of Capstone™ Fluorosurfactants
Capstone™ fluorosurfactants are used in a variety of applications because of their ability to enhance performance and assist in formulating many everyday products, including wetting, surfacing, and leveling. Common applications for Capstone™ fluorosurfactants include:
Paints and Coatings
Capstone™ fluorosurfactants work as multifunctional additives to simplify formulations for paints and coatings, especially those formulated with low- or no-VOC chemistry. Capstone™ fluorosurfactants:
- Improve substrate wetting
- Improve pigment wetting and leveling
- Provide anti-blocking for water-based systems
- Extend open-time
- Reduce foaming
- Improve dirt pick-up resistance
- Enhance oily stain removal
Cleaners and Waxes
Capstone™ fluorosurfactants are cost-effective additives that enhance professional-use cleaners, polishes, and waxes by thoroughly wetting a substrate, allowing the cleaner to further penetrate deep dirt and stains. They also provide improved leveling characteristics and surface properties in floor care formulations.
Adhesives, Sealants, and Caulks
Adhesive applications exist in many forms, such as adhesives for tape, hot-melt, and wood (and other porous surfaces). Adding a small amount of a Capstone™ fluorosurfactant improves the adhesive's wetting and penetration into substrate pores to strengthen the bond. Capstone™ fluorosurfactants provide reduced surface defects, dynamic surface tension reduction (in combination with existing surfactant package), and increased adhesive penetration.
Films
For print acceptors, Capstone™ fluorosurfactants improve:
- Wetting and leveling for ink
- Adhesion
- Abrasion resistance
- Reduced ink transfer
- General "printability"
In addition to wetting, Capstone™ fluorosurfactants migrate to the top of a coating and thus encourage rewetting in multi-coat operations. Capstone™ fluorosurfactants can also provide antistatic properties.
Ink and Graphic Arts
Capstone™ fluorosurfactants achieve excellent wetting and leveling properties for inks and graphic art coatings without interfering with dispersed phase dyes and pigments. Because Capstone™ fluorosurfactants rise to the air interface, they reduce “transfer” to the next surface when sheet or roll-type products are stacked.
Primary performance functions include anti-block, ink acceptance, leveling, and wetting.