I.

Definition and Overview

Acetylated carbohydrates were known as early as 1865, it was not until 1910-1911 that
mention of products which were like those now called lacquers and which contained cellulose
acetate, began to appear in the patent literature. It was not until after 1920, however, that
cellulose nitrate manufacture became important through the demands of the wood and metal
finishing industries. Historically, this paint type was used utilised widely in the automobile
industry. This is perhaps unsurprising, since cars require incredibly hard paintwork in order to
survive the general wear and tear of their usage and cellulose paint coatings, once cured provide
an incredibly durable coating.

Several plastic and coating materials are derives from cellulose which is the principal
carbohydrate constituent of many woody plants and vegetable fibres. Cotton fibre and delignified
wood are the most important raw materials for the production of these derivatives, many of
which are esters. The cellulose coating materials are colloidal in nature.

The basic material from which Cellulose derivatives are made is Cellulose. Cellulose is a
polysaccharide and is made up of so called anhydroglucose units that are linked together by -
1,4-glycosidic linkages.

Fig 1. Structure of Cellulose

Modification of cellulose is usually achieved through esterification or etherification.

Fig 2.Modifying Cellulose

Esterification is a reaction of an alcohol with an acid to produce an ester

and water. Etherification is the well-known dehydration of an alcohol to
form ethers. This is commonly practised with both aliphatic and aromatic
alcohols (phenols).
By treating cellulose with sodium hydroxide, a negative repulsive charge is produced
on the chain. This breaks down the crystallinity of the polymer, thus making the
hydroxyl groups accessible.
 The more important cellulose modification reactions for paint application are summarized
and is shown by Fig 3.

Fig.3. Modification of cellulose

The reaction of alkaline cellulose with ethylene oxide produces hydroxyethyl

cellulose, while with monochloroacetic acid, carboxymethyl cellulose is formed.
Methyl cellulose is obtained through the reaction of cellulose with methyl chloride in
the presence of sodium hydroxide, It is usually not methyl cellulose that is used as a
thickener, but rather the mixed ethers methylhydroxyethyl cellulose and
methylhydroxypropyl cellulose.

Cellulose falls under Modified Natural Resins when classified using polymer types used
in coatings together with starch and nitrocellulose. Cellulose chemistry includes a great number
of surface hydroxyl (OH) groups, which readily create hydrogen bonds with water molecules
enabling water to spread over the surface. Cellulose is also capable of absorbing water. That is,
cellulose is a hydrophilic and hygroscopic material by nature.

Cellulose derivatives provide the coating with three basic properties: viscosity, stability,
and water retention.
Cellulose is generally supplied in 2 types :

1. A Primer form which is thinned at a ratio of 1 part Primer to 1 part Thinner. The
Thinner for this stage can be Standard Cellulose Thinner or Anti-Bloom/High Gloss
Thinners.

2. A Cellulose Topcoat which is again thinned at a ratio of 1 part Cellulose to 1 part

Thinner. The Thinner at this stage should always be a Virgin Anti-Bloom or High
Gloss product to achieve the best possible finish.

Cellulose nitrate, also known as gun cotton or pyroxylin, has been known for nearly one hundred
years.
 II. Composition and Raw Materials

Diluents: added in limited amounts to lower cost and improve solubility of resin modifiers.
a. Ketones, acetone diacetone alcohol
b. Organic Esters
c. Amides
d. Nitroparaffin
e. Butyl acetate, amyl acetate, ethyl acetate

Small amounts of solvents with high boiling point such as diacetone alcohol, glycol
ethers, and lactates are added to lessen the evaporation of solvents making the coating blush
resistant.
In order to avoid the lump formation during addition of water to cellulose paints,
manufacturers treat all the paint grades with a controlled amount of glyoxal.

Blushing happens when the main solvent evaporates too rapidly which may lead to
cooling of the surface and cause water to condense in the film; this, in turn, causes the film to
turn white (blush or bloom).

Co solvents:
a. Ethanol
b. Isopropanol

Resins: added in nitrocellulose coating compositions to improve the degree of film build
by increasing the solids content at a given viscosity. Depth, gloss, and adhesion can also be
improved by the addition of resin.

Pigments are added for producing opaque, colored finishes.

Plastic Synthesizers:
a. Triphenyl or tricrsyl phosphates
b. Dibutyl phthalate
c. Castor oil

Celloluse ether is softer and more extensive than cellulose esters, and hence, requires little or no
plasticizer.

III. Application

Nitrocellulose is used in coatings for wood and metal, for lacquer emulsions for wood and
metals, and for architectural finishes.

Cellulose Acetate is a white, bulky solid that now finds extensive use as a coating and lacquer
material as a molding compound.
Cellulose based coating be used in automotive and industrial sectors, construction industries and
housing market, and as aerosols. Cellulose coatings can applied to the substrate by brushing,
spraying, or curtain coating.

Bermocoll, a cellulose-based product used in water-based coatings, and suitable consistency and
improved adhesion in cement and gypsum-based systems for architectural finishes, by Akzo
Nobel Global paint industry are manufactured in three main types:
1. EHEC, ethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose, (E and EBS)
2. MEHEC, methyl ethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose, (M, EM and EBM)
- resistant against enzymatic attack
3. HM-EHEC, hydrophobical modified ethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose, (EHM)
- hydrophobically modified EHEC and are resistant against enzymatic attack

Bermocoll coatings provide:

1. Increased water retention

2. Improved consistency to make thin layer products workable

3. Controlled rheology to provide sag resistance

4. Reduced segregation of different formulation ingredients

5. Improved adhesion on porous substrates

6. Optimized air pore stability for improved workability

7. Improved adhesion to polystyrene boards

Bermocell is a high quality sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) that can be used water-based
decorative paints.

Hydroxyethyl Cellulose : In the paint industry, provides the latex paint especially high PVA
paints with excellent coating performance. HC has higher thickening effects. It can reduce the
dosage, improve the cost-effectiveness of formulation, and enhance the washing resistance of
paints.

IV. Characteristics and properties

The chief difficulty in the way of commercial development of cellulose acetate has been
its limited solubility. Care must be taken in the application of cellulose acetate-and, for that
matter, of almost any cellulose ester coating-not to have solutions that are too thick or viscous,
especially on smooth surfaces. Such coatings have poor adherence and are liable to peel.

Cellulose acetobutyrate is more highly miscible with resins and plasticizers than
cellulose acetate. CAB coatings are tough, flexible, and resistant even to out-of-door weathering.
CAB is a white, flaky materials; it gives a colorless film which transmits all visible and ultra-
violet light in the solar spectrum and does not yellow or discolor.

Cellulose nitrate based coatings has two main shortcomings. It is not stable to light,
particularly stong sunlight. The film becomes acid, its brittleness increases, its tensile strength
decreases, and after prolonged exposure the film becomes yellow. The second shortcoming is the
inadequacy of plasticizing materials now available for it, has already been touched upon.

Cellulose-based coatings dries very quickly about 15 minutes flash off.

Cellulose paints are plant based coatings which carry the advantage of being painted in
layers as compared to conventional distemper paints.

Cellulose paints have a mixture of pigments which exhibit their aesthetics due to the
ability of the pigments to show light refraction. These paints are easy to remove during the
coating of another paint as its temporary in nature. It is not high in opacity or hiding power.

Cellulose paints are regarded as active agents with polymeric surface and exhibit the
ability to contribute to disperse the pigments by enhancing the flow during grinding.

Cellulose paints are manufactured in a broad range of viscosities which enable

consumers to choose the specific viscosity required for the application of the paint.

These paints contain a range of non-ionic cellulose ethers which are use as water
retaining agent, stabilizers, and thickeners for water based paints for decorative applications.

Cellulose is a favourite amongst the keen enthusiasts as it is easy to use, relatively cheap,
and polishes to a nice high gloss finish with the minimum of fuss.

Surfaces and coatings when added with cellulose derivatives becomes hydrophobic
surfaces and coatings can potentially be utilized in variety of applications including self-
cleaning, stain-resistant, anti-icing, and anti-fogging surfaces; wind screens; waterproof
breathable clothing and coatings; anti-biofouling and anti-corrosion coatings; fog-harvesting;
oil separation from water; microfl uidics; drag reduction; and liquid transportation. In addition
to the special wettability, many other useful properties have been typically incorporated into
superhydrophobic coatings, for example transparency, structural color, gas permeability, and
flexibility.

Breathability: sometimes referred to as micro porosity; the beneficial ability to allow the
passage of moisture through the paint film. Painting surfaces with modern paints which may
have low breathability can seal in dampness, causing rapid deterioration of the building fabric
and the tendency for the surface coating to blow off the wall. Using a highly breathable paint is
important on new walls and plaster, which can take a number of years to dry thoroughly and on
lime products. Low breathable paints will also result in increased condensation, encouraging
harmful mould growth.
 Composition of paint formulation patented by Phipps, et al.

A series of paint formulations were mixed under high shear in which the standard hydroxyethyl
cellulose component was progressively replaced by microfibrillated cellulose. Details of the
formulations are shown in Table 1 .

Table 1. Paint formulation

Table 2. Comparison of results

Substitution of hydroxyethyl cellulose increases the light scattering coefficient of the film, thus
improving its opacity and hiding power. It also results in a significant reduction in gloss at 85,
which is important for a matt paint. It can also be seen that the substitution results in an
improvement in the wet scrub resistance of the paint, since the loss of film thickness in the
standard scrubbing test used is lower for formulations containing microfibrillated cellulose
prepared in accordance with the methods described herein.

REFERENCES:

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/cellulose-paints-market.asp

http://www.cjaerosols.com/news/the-benefits-of-cellulose-spray-paints/

https://www.akzonobel.com/cs/products/bermocoll/bermocoll_in_buildings/

Teisala, H., Tuominen, M., Kuusipalo, J. (2014). Superhydrophobic Coatings on Cellulose-

Based Materials: Fabrication, Properties, and Applications. Adv. Mater. Interfaces, 1:
1300026.

Bieleman, J. (2000). Additives for Coatings. Weinheim, Germany: WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH.

Gettens, R. S. (1966). Painting Materials: A Short Encyclopedia. New York: Dover Publications,
Inc.

Schweitzer, P. (2005). Paints and Coatings; application and corrosion resistance. Broken Sound
Parkway, New York: CRC Press.

Jonathan Phipps, S. B. (2013). Patent No. WO2013156223 A1. Paris, France.