Exterior Surfactant Leaching Performance

Surfactant leaching resistance in an important parameter in the development of acrylic binders and in the formulation of architectural paints. Surfactant leaching occurs when moisture accumulates at the surface of a film and enables exudation of water-soluble components which can leave undesirable surface defects upon evaporation. A number of tests are used by industry to evaluate surfactant leaching performance, such as a water spot test (ASTM D7190) and a continual condensation test (ASTM D4585). Unfortunately, these and other current laboratory test methods often present misleading results and show poor correlation to real-world performance. Additionally, there is no cohesive test method to evaluate surfactant leaching performance. A newly developed test based on extensive exterior exposure modeling has been shown to be valuable indicator of surfactant leaching performance and has enabled the development of acrylic emulsions with excellent surfactant leaching resistance properties.

Presented at the Western Coatings Show, October 2021