INFO WA-0211/1E

Wax Additives

Improvement of the haptical, optical

and mechanical properties
 Wax as additive in coatings

Wax raw materials can be Wax additives offered by DEUTERON

split into the following GmbH are shown in GREEN.
groups: Carnauba wax
Natural waxes Bee‘s wax
Montan wax
Paraffin

Preparation
via
Semi-synthetic Modified montan wax emulsification The form used for coatings,
Waxes Amide wax
waxes wet milling is normally ca. 1-25 µm in size.
micronising
precipitation

Polyethylene wax
Synthetic
Polypropylene wax
waxes
Fischer-Tropsch-paraffin

The use of waxes in coatings introduces release and slip DEUTERON-WAX A Micronised polyamide wax with excellent
properties. Waxes give the film surface a lower surface adhesion resistance to heat and chemicals and high hardness. Matting
and often results in a fine, uniform surface characteristic. The effect and improved sanding properties.
main property improvements are:
DEUTERON-WAX MPO Non-polar micronised polyolefin wax with
a good matting effect. It increases the mechanical and chemical
resistance of the coating surface and reduces the sedimentation
of pigments and fillers in pigmented systems.
Release properties DEUTERON-WAX PP Micronised polypropylene wax with a wide
range of uses.
Dirt-repellent properties
DEUTERON-WAX TF Micronised PTFE modified polyolefin wax.
Anti-blocking effect / stackability Polytetrafluoroethylene has the lowest friction coefficient of all
solid substances and hence has the highest slip and anti-blocking
Scratch resistance values in organic coatings.

DEUTERON AP348 Polyethylene wax with high hardness in the

Reduction of the static and dynamic friction form of prills for incorporation via the melts, for example for
powder coatings: It reduces the gloss and improves the levelling.
Surface smoothness
DEUTERON UV RS20 Dispersion of high molecular weight PE
waxes in DPGDA for altering the surface smoothness in radical
Haptic properties
curing UV systems. Moderate matting effect.

Oxygen inhibition DEUTERON OG 250 Stabilised, aqueous paraffin dispersion of

low melting point as an additive for manufacturing water-based
Matting soft-feel coatings. The product has a strong hydrophobic effect.

DEUTERON OG 330 Aqueous dispersion of a polyethylene wax,

Sanding properties
PTFE modified. Improves surface smoothness, abrasion
resistance and scrub resistance of water-based coatings.
Anti-sedimentation
DEUTEROL Paraffindispersion Stabilised, aqueous dispersion
of a pure paraffin. Matting agent for systems that can be thinned
with water.
 Mattierung Slip and haptic effects

Waxes can in some cases be considered to be organic matting
agents and used as such. The most important types are
unmodified and modified polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP)
and polyamide (PA) waxes. Polyolefin waxes are the most suited
for use as matting agents or as auxiliary matting additives.
The following principle also holds for matting coating surfaces with
waxes: The larger the particles, the bigger the effect. In general
the wax particles orientate themselves on the coating surface. The
matting effect of waxes is however limited compared to the effect
of special matting agents. If instead of silky-gloss surfaces it is
desired to produce matt or dull surfaces, additional matting agents
must also be used. Suitable additional matting agents include all
organic matting agents (PMU - polymethyl urea) and inorganic
matting agents (silicas). In general spherical particles are less
efficient than irregularly shaped particles. This also applies for
DEUTERON matting agents based on polymethyl urea which
have an amorphous structure and show improved mechanical
values. The use of matting agents and the specific properties that
can be achieved with them depend on the nature of the wax and
also on the particle size. For use as a sanding additive, polyam-
ide waxes are generally the best suited.
Gloss comparison in a solvent-containing CN coating with a low
solids fraction of 22%
Wax additives are used to improve the slip properties of the film
surface and hence also improve the scratch resistance,
anti-blocking effect, dirt-repellent properties and stackability. The
ability to lower the surface adhesion also gives these materials
release agent properties. Waxes are slip agents and have a
positive effect on the scratch resistance and blocking resistance,
by producing a sort of barrier at the surface which makes penetra-
tion or scratching more difficult. This effect results in simulating a
higher hardness. The waxes concentrate mainly at the surface
and introduce effects there ranging from uniform silky-gloss to
matt.
The differences in density and the different polarities of the waxes
and coating system are responsible for the affinity of the wax to
the surface and the surface effects. In solvent-containing systems
this occurs largely due to convection. In aqueous systems this
occurs due to the hydrophobicity of the additives and their
incompatibility with the system.
Combinations of PTFE-PE (Teflon®-polyethylene) give the highest
slip effects.
Comparison of friction values for a solvent-containing CN coating
with a low solids fraction of 22% containing different concentra-
tions of additive:

100
Degree of gloss 60° 0,8
90
Coefficient of friction µ
80
0,7
70
Solid line - Static friction
60
0,6 Dotted line - Dynamic friction
50

40 0,5

30

20 0,4

10
0,3
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Amount added % 0,2

Glanzvergleich in einem lösemittelhaltigen 2K-Acryl-Lack mit 0,1

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
einem gesamten Bindemittelfestkörper von 33%
Amount added %
100

90
Degree of gloss 60°

80
2%
70
4%
60

50

40
DEUTERON Wax PP
30
DEUTERON Wax A
20
DEUTERON Wax MPO
10 DEUTERON Wax TF
0
Wachs A
Wax A Wax MPO Wax PP Wax TF No additive
Product range of DEUTERON wax additves

Solid content Melting point d50 D90

DEUTERON Typ Systems
% °C µm µm

Wax A Amide wax 100 approx. 140 6,0 14,4

Wax MPO Polyolefin wax 100 approx. 110 5,2 10,7

Micronised
powder
Wax PP Polypropylene wax 100 approx. 138 6,6 14,4

Wax TF PTFE-modified polyolefine wax 100 approx. 110* 4,9 10,6

AP 348 Polyethylene wax 100 85-90 n.a. n.a. Prills

OG 330 Polyethylene wax, PTFE-modified 50 approx. 110* 5,2 10,8

OG 250 Paraffin, Water approx. 20 approx. 60* 3,6 1,9

Dispersions
DEUTEROL
Paraffin, Water approx. 20 approx. 60* 3,4 1,8
Paraffindispersion
UV RS20 Polyethylene wax in DPGDA approx. 25 115-120* <4 <10

* = For the part of wax

Oxygen inhibition
An example of the unsuitable use of wax
Waxes can form a layer on the surface of unsaturated systems
which polymerise via radical chain reactions. This reduces or
prevents contact with oxygen. Oxygen coming into contact with
the surface can trap the radicals that are necessary for the
reaction. This may prevent correct curing of the surface. Systems
containing suitable waxes (e.g. paraffins) thus have a "barrier" for
oxygen. The need for an inert gas atmosphere (to avoid the chain
reaction being inhibited by O2) is hence avoided, and smaller
quantities of expensive initiators are required.

Definition: A substance is defined as a wax if, at 20°C, it can be

kneaded, is solid or brittle, has a coarse to fine-crystalline
structure, is transparent to opaque but is not glass-like, melts at
over 40°C without decomposing, is liquid (slightly viscous) at
temperatures a little above the melting point, has a very tempera-
ture dependent consistency and solubility, and can be polished
under light pressure. The substance is not a wax, according to the
definition of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Fettwissenschaft
(German Society for Fat Science) if one of the aforementioned
properties is not fulfilled. (Römpps Chemie Lexikon). The Fall of Icarus - Peter Paul Rubens - 1636

Please get in touch with us if you require further information, wish to arrange a meeting with our representative
or would like technical data sheets and product samples. You are welcome to contact us at any time.

This data sheet provides technical advice. It is not binding, is not a specification and does not claim to be complete.

DEUTERON GmbH
P.O. Box 1645 – D-28822 Achim – HRB Walsrode 120187
Phone ++49 (0)421 / 48 99 03-0 – Fax ++49 (0)421 / 48 99 03-60
www.deuteron.com – contact@deuteron.com

INFO WA-0211/1E