Liquid corrosion inhibitors for the next generation of industrial coatings

If you develop industrial coatings then you will be interested to find out more about the ASCOTEC range of high-performance liquid corrosion inhibitors, marketed under the ASCONIUM® brand name. These innovative organic liquid anti-corrosion additives are easy to incorporate and offer a number of benefits to either waterborne or solvent-borne formulations.

In this article, we demonstrate the various benefits of using ASCONIUM® liquid corrosion inhibitors over traditional anti-corrosion pigments. To summarise them here:

• Easy to dose and stable over time – no sedimentation or storage issues.
• High-performance anti-corrosion behaviour at low dosage.
• Enhanced film adhesion and cohesion.
• Reduced film blistering and increased hydrophobicity of the film. Stable to hydrolysis.
• Effective multi-metal protection.
• Achieve high gloss finishes and avoid interference of appearance, in both clear and pigmented coatings.
• Versatile – use them in waterborne and solvent-borne formulations. They work well on their own, or in combination with anti-corrosion pigments.
• Low VOC possibilities - offer high-performance waterborne systems that compete with solvent-borne systems.
• Possibility of label-free solutions and Ecolabel compliance, when used below certain thresholds.

Suitable for both waterborne and solvent-borne formulations, they can be used either as the sole anti-corrosion additive or in combination with traditional anti-corrosion pigments. Quite often these additives outperform anti-corrosion pigments and at lower dosages. Below you will see a comparison of salt spray test panels, demonstrating the improved performance of two ASCONIUM® products against a selection of anti-corrosion pigments.

You will notice from the images above that another benefit of these additives is the reduction in blistering. ASCONIUM® enhances the hydrophobicity of the film as well, enhancing the water resistance of the coating. Many anti-corrosion agents are sensitive to hydrolysis, compromising this property. See the reduced blistering achieved with ASCONIUM® 141 vs. zinc phosphate below.

If you are looking to achieve a high gloss finish in either a clear or pigmented coat then the ASCOTEC® range of liquid corrosion inhibitors will help you achieve the best results (below).

Not only does ASCONIUM protect ferrous substrates, but there are also highly effective grades for aluminium, galvanized steel, zinc, copper and various other alloys. Get in touch with us to find the best grade for your application.

Film adhesion to the metal surface is maintained, even after salt spray and humidity tests. Crosshatch tests shown below demonstrate this benefit.

ASCONIUM® liquid corrosion inhibitors derive their high-performance from four functional factors:

1). Creation of a barrier effect through the inhibitor’s adsorption onto the metal surface.

2). Enhancement of the coating’s water resistance.

3). Improvement of adhesion between coating and substrate.

4). Improvement of film cohesion.

These mechanisms are summarised in the diagram below.

Below you will find our product recommendation matrix. These recommendations are a general guideline. ASCOTEC is a technically innovative company, with a well-equipped laboratory and years of historical test data and advice. Partnered with Lawrence Industries in the UK and IE, our technical sales team are on hand to provide you with the best solution – no matter what system you have or what goals you have for your industrial coating. We have demonstrated the benefits of ASCONIUM® in this article and have the expertise to help… get in touch with us today and see how we can help you progress your industrial coatings to the next level.