FUMED METAL OXIDES

APPLICATION GUIDE
CAB-O-SPERSE DISPERSIONS ®

FOR METAL PRETREATMENT

WHY CAB-O-SPERSE DISPERSIONS IN METAL PRETREATMENT? ENHANCED DURABILITY IMPROVED ADHESION

1. Metal pretreatment performance enhancement Up to 30% higher hardness Driving adhesion with micro-roughness
◆ Greater micro-roughness to promote adhesion

◆ Increased hardness and greater scratch resistance

◆ Corrosion resistance from stronger barrier properties
◆ Formulation stability relative to dry powder addition
◆ Ease of handling/incorporation relative to dry powder
2. Ease of processing
3. Ultra-high purity
How do CAB-O-SPERSE dispersions work?
◆ Dispersions improve coating barrier properties by Adhesion between the coating and the metal
increasing hardness pretreatment layer is improved when the pretreatment
◆ In an alkylsilane immersion coating, addition of 1.5% wt. delivers surface roughness.
silica increased the hardness >30%. The condensing species forming the pretreatment layer
◆ High hardness is a key factor in enabling scratch exhibit greater micro-roughness from the presence of
resistance uniformly distributed fumed metal oxide particles
delivered by CAB-O-SPERSE dispersions.
140%
Strong adhesion promotion helps yield consistent

Coating hardness
130% performance throughout the coating.
CAB-O-SPERSE dispersions provide a superior state 120%
of dispersion that yields stability in formulation and 110% SEM* image of a rough surface layer formed by a polymer
improved distribution of the additive particles throughout coating enhanced with CAB-O-SPERSE dispersion
100%
the coated pretreatment layer. Their high surface area
helps induce uniform nucleation of the coating species. 90%
80%
0.0 1.5
Mix CAB-O-SPERSE Silica Aq. solution % wt. silica
dispersions with
pretreatment solution Improved corrosion resistance
CAB-O-SPERSE dispersions deliver superior corrosion
resistance properties in a model formulation when
compared to comparable colloidal silica dispersions.
500nm
% wt. Salt spray corrosion
silica Type of silica in coating resistance *Scanning Electric Microscopy
Dispersed particles
deposit at the same time 35 CAB-O-SPERSE dispersion
Roughness increased 6x with dispersed silica in an
as the coating species 52 CAB-O-SPERSE dispersion alkylsilane immersion coating measured via AFM*
react with the metal
substrate and precipitate Application and drying 71 CAB-O-SPERSE dispersion

Surface roughness (nm)

50
on the surface
37 Colloidal dispersion 40
Primer or coating 59 Colloidal dispersion 30
Metal substrate 86 Colloidal dispersion 20
Pretreatment layer micro- 10
Pretreatment layer roughness promotes Performance ranking: Excellent Fair Poor
0
adhesion to subsequent 0.0 1.5
Metal substrate coatings This table was adapted from US Pat. 5905105. Ammonium zirconium carbonate % wt. silica
solutions were used to form amorphous coatings containing predispersed silica
particles. % weights are for dry coatings.
*Atomic Force Microscopy
CAB-O-SPERSE® DISPERSIONS FOR METAL PRETREATMENT APPLICATION GUIDE

RELATIVE PERFORMANCE IN METAL PRETREATMENT FORMULATION INFORMATION

Cabot products: High

CAB-O-SPERSE dispersions are suitable for immersion
CAB-O-SPERSE dispersions: 2012A, 1015A, 2017A, coatings and coil coatings (including dry-in-place, or
1020K, PG 022, PG 003, PG 008 Basic dispersions Acidic dispersions DIP, coatings).

Surface roughness and

adhesion promotion
General guidelines: The list below provides component ranges to consider
◆ Large particles facilitate stable formulations 1020K 1015A in several types of pretreatment formulations.
PG 003
◆ Alumina provides increased hardness and Coil coatings
abrasion resistance vs silica PG 008 ◆ Chromate systems:
◆ Cationic additives promote adhesion 2017A 2012A PG 022 – Chrome (III) chromate: 1-10% wt.
Legend: – Silica: 1-10% wt.
– Water (balance)
Material Stabilizer chemistry Particle charge
Silica NH3 Anionic ◆ Titania systems:
Silica KOH Anionic Formulation stability in acidic media High – Fluotitanic acid solution: 1-5% wt.
Silica Proprietary Cationic – Silica: 1-5% wt.
Alumina N/A Cationic Note: Data are for fixed solids loading – Water soluble polymer: 0.2-0.75% wt.
– Water (balance)
◆ Zirconia systems:
CAB-O-SPERSE PRODUCTS AND PROPERTIES – Ammonium zirconium carbonate: 1-5% wt.
– Silica: 1-5% wt.
– Water soluble polymer: 0.5-1% wt.
CAB-O-SPERSE Big – Water (balance)
Loading Charge PG 003 1015A 1030K
product
Immersion systems (dipped 0.5 – 10 min before removal)
1015A 15% Anionic 1020K ◆ S
 ilane systems:
Relative particle size

1020K 20% Anionic – Alkylsilane: 1-3% wt. in water or water/alcohol

PG 008
1030K 30% Anionic – Silica: 0.01-1% wt.
– Water (balance)
2012A 12% Anionic PG 022 2012A 2020K 2017A
Additional formulation guidance:
2017A 17% Anionic
2020K 20% Anionic
Material Stabilizer chemistry ◆ W
 ater soluble polymer binders promote adhesion,
Silica NH3 flexibility, and forming
4012K 12% Anionic Silica KOH
Silica Proprietary ◆ CAB-O-SPERSE dispersions facilitate addition of fumed
PG 003 40% Cationic Alumina N/A metal oxide particles to pretreatment formulations — the
4012K
PG 008 40% Cationic Small superior state of dispersion improves formulation stability
PG 022 20% Cationic 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 ◆ It is recommended to match the pH of the
pH
CAB-O-SPERSE product to that of the formulation
for maximum stability

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or conclusions will be obtained by others. This information is provided as a convenience and is for informational purposes only. This information may contain
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