Glass is one of the most versatile materials on the planet, used in many industries such as building and construction, consumer goods, and energy. Coatings and glass treatments are often utilized to modify the surface characteristics of the glass and specialize it for a specific end use. While glass coatings and treatments can serve a wide variety of functions, they generally enhance the protection and optical properties of glass surfaces.
Tyzor® - The Ideal Additive for Glass Coatings
Tyzor® organic titanates are multifunctional additives that play an important role in the treatment and surface modification of glass. They can increase the protective properties of coatings applied to glass surfaces and help achieve desirable aesthetic effects. Tyzor® provides this functionality as a surface modifier, adhesion promoter, or catalyst in various glass coating applications.
Glass Coating Adhesion Promoter
Tyzor® organic titanates can be applied in a pretreatment step as a primer or incorporated as an additive in a coating formulation to improve the adhesion of coatings to glass surfaces. Glass surfaces often contain hydroxyl groups that facilitate bond formation with adhesion promotion additives. When applied to glass, Tyzor® acts as an adhesion-promoting additive to form strong bonds between the hydroxyl groups of the glass surface and the functional groups of the coating's polymer matrix. Tyzor® also helps increase cross-link density in coating systems through a similar mechanism. The increased surface adhesion and cross-linking lead to improved coating adhesive strength, cohesive strength, increased resistance to water and chemicals, and enhanced scratch resistance.
Self-Cleaning Coating Catalyst
Tyzor® is often used for self-cleaning glass applications. It can be applied using a pyrolytic or hydrolytic sol–gel process to form a continuous layer of metal oxide. This metal oxide layer provides hydrophilicity to the glass surface, allowing water to form sheets that grab and flush away dirt more effectively. As an added benefit, Tyzor® acts as a catalyst in the presence of direct sunlight to decompose organic soil and dirt that is on the surface of the glass. This reaction allows the surface to remain clean and makes dirt removal easier using just water.
Glass Surface Modifiers
As mentioned above, Tyzor® can be coated to form a metal oxide layer. This metal oxide layer can be used to change the functional and aesthetic properties of the glass surface. The visual properties bestowed often depend on the thickness and morphology of the metal oxide, which can be controlled to degrees ranging from nanostructures to macroscale coatings. Properties that can be enhanced with Tyzor® include the following:
Increased heat and light reflection from glass surfaces
Higher chemical and scratch protection
Implementation of optical effects, such as pearlescence and iridization
Typical Applications
Composites
Glass-reinforcing fibers used in plastic composites can be treated with Tyzor® to improve the adhesion between the fibers and the polymer matrix of the composite.
Flat Glass
Flat glass can be treated with Tyzor® as an adhesion-promoting additive for coatings or as a standalone product to form a metal oxide layer that increases light and heat reflection, surface hardness, optical effects, and dirt and chemical resistance.
Glass Beads
Metal oxide produced by coating Tyzor® onto beads can be used to create various optical effects, including iridescence and pearlescence.
Grade Selection
Tyzor® organic titanates are available in a broad range of grades for solvent-based, solvent-free, and water-based applications. Some Tyzor® grades that are highly reactive with water readily undergo hydrolysis and become inactive. These grades are recommended for solvent-based or solvent-free applications. If Tyzor® is to be used as an adhesion-promoting additive, a grade with an appropriate water reactivity level should be selected based on whether the coating system contains water. In this application, Tyzor® should be added at a rate between 1% and 5%. If Tyzor® is to be used in a hydrolytic sol–gel process as a binder or a gel, 5% or greater solids content by weight should applied as either a pure material or hydrolysate. For surface coating applications, Tyzor® may be applied as a solution or vapor containing a few ppm.
The appropriate grade depends on the type of process, system, and end-use requirements of the application. Below are a few recommendations.
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