Efficient strategy for hard nano-sphere usage: Boosting the performance of waterborne coatings

•An efficient strategy for the use of hard nano-sphere in WB coatings is described.•The hard-spheres used in this work were produced using low-surfactant concentrations.•Blends with commercial binders were successfully formulated into coatings.•Blocking, hardness and fat resistance were improved by addition of a hard phase.

This work describes a study on the efficient use of waterborne hard-polymeric nanoparticles to improve properties of waterborne coatings such as: early hardness, blocking and resistance to fat. The waterborne nano-hard-spheres were synthesized by a special emulsion polymerization process enabling the use of low-surfactant concentration and high solid levels, and then blended with different commercial decorative binders. The colloidal stability of these bimodal systems was carefully analyzed, through rheology and dynamic light scattering analysis. Afterwards, different clear coatings were formulated, prepared, and applied onto different substrates to evaluate their properties. Results showed that the implementation of this waterborne technology enhanced the performance of the systems evaluated for decorative and industrial purposes.