Application of titanium dioxide in coatings industry

Titanium dioxide has a wide range of important applications in the coatings industry, mainly in the following aspects

Titanium dioxide has a wide range of important applications in the coatings industry, mainly in the following aspects:

Provide hiding power: Titanium dioxide has a high refractive index and strong achromatic power, which can effectively scatter and absorb light, so that the coating can cover the color and surface defects of the underlying object and present a uniform color. In architectural coatings, it can cover the unevenness and original stains of the wall; in automotive coatings, it can cover the body primer and metal surface to ensure the purity of the color23.
Enhance whiteness and brightness: Titanium dioxide itself has extremely high whiteness, which can give the coating a bright and pure white color, and enhance the color brightness and glossiness of the coating. In white coatings, such as white latex paint for the interior walls of buildings and white furniture paint, titanium dioxide is a key component to achieve high whiteness; in colored coatings, it can also play a role in brightening and adjusting the color tone, making the color more vivid123.
Improve weather resistance: Titanium dioxide has good light resistance and chemical stability, can resist the erosion of ultraviolet rays, prevent the coating from discoloring, powdering, cracking, etc. during long-term use, and extend the service life of the coating.  For outdoor exterior wall paints, bridge paints, ship paints, etc., the weather resistance of titanium dioxide is crucial to ensure that the paint maintains stable performance in harsh natural environments2.
Improving physical properties: Titanium dioxide can enhance the physical properties of paints such as mechanical strength, adhesion and wear resistance. In wood coatings, it can make the coating tougher and more resistant to scratches and wear; in metal coatings, it can improve the adhesion between the coating and the metal surface and enhance the protective performance35.
Adjusting rheological properties: Adding titanium dioxide in an appropriate amount can improve the rheological properties of the coating, such as adjusting the viscosity and thixotropy of the coating, making the coating easier to apply and level during construction, avoiding problems such as sagging and brush marks, and improving construction efficiency and coating quality.

The application of titanium dioxide in different types of coatings also has its own characteristics:

Architectural coatings: including interior wall coatings and exterior wall coatings.  Interior wall paints have high requirements for environmental protection and whiteness. Titanium dioxide can provide good whiteness and hiding power, while ensuring the environmental protection performance of the paint; exterior wall paints pay more attention to weather resistance and durability. Rutile titanium dioxide is widely used due to its excellent weather resistance, which can keep the color of exterior wall paints stable and the coating intact in the long-term wind, sun and rain environment4.
Automotive coatings: The performance requirements of titanium dioxide are extremely high. Not only does it need to have excellent hiding power, whiteness and weather resistance, but it also requires good dispersibility and glossiness. In automotive topcoats, nano-scale rutile titanium dioxide can produce a unique light effect, making the car surface present rich colors and three-dimensional sense; in automotive primers, titanium dioxide can improve the hiding power and anti-rust performance of primers, providing a good foundation for topcoats.
Industrial coatings: such as anti-corrosion coatings, coil coatings, etc.  In anti-corrosion coatings, titanium dioxide can improve the chemical stability and corrosion resistance of the coating, and enhance the protective effect on metals and other coated objects; coil coatings have high requirements for the hiding power and heat resistance of titanium dioxide to ensure the stability of the coating performance during coil processing and use4.
Wood coatings: Titanium dioxide is required to have good dispersibility and transparency to avoid affecting the texture and texture of wood. At the same time, titanium dioxide can also improve the whiteness, hardness and wear resistance of wood coatings, protect the wood surface and increase the aesthetics.