Odor
While regulatory constraints continue to put pressure on formulators to reduce VOC
and impact on the environment, paints also need to satisfy the increasing demand
of the painters. Whether a professional or do-it-yourself painter, both groups of
painters demand reduced smell and odor.
Latex paints are much lower in odor than conventional oil-based paints thanks to
the replacement of solvent by water. However, in order to reduce odor as much as
possible, particularly in interior architectural coatings, it is necessary
to consider all the additives used in the formulation.
Due to their high boiling point, multifunctional neutralizing amines reduce
the impact on odor and smells compared to classical amines. Choosing these multifunctional additives
will definitely allow for the formulation of low odor paints.
Figure 1: Odor profile of multifunctional amine
The graph above compares the vapor pressure of multifunctional amine. Multifunctional
amine's low vapor pressure leads to less volatility and so to less odor. This low
volatitily leads also to an excellent paint stability.
