# US 11,299,647 B2 · Aqueous color pigment pastes containing a polymerizate, and basecoats produced therefrom

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 11,299,647 B2
- Document ID: US11299647B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/496,890
- Filed: 2018-03-22
- Published: 2020-05-07
- Granted: 2022-04-12
- Earliest claimed: 2017-03-23
- Assignees: BASF Coatings GmbH
- Applicants: BASF Coatings GmbH
- Inventors: Dirk Eierhoff; Joerg Schwarz; Stephan Schwarte; Cathrin Corten
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11299647B2

## CPC

- C09D 17/00: Pigment pastes, e.g. for mixing in paints (artists' paints C09D5/06)
- C09D 17/001: {in aqueous medium (C09D17/003, C09D17/004 take precedence)}
- C08F 2/001: {Multistage polymerisation processes characterised by a change in reactor conditions without deactivating the intermediate polymer (C08F295/00, C08F297/00 take precedence)}
- C08F 2/22: Emulsion polymerisation
- C08F 212/08: Styrene
- C08F 220/06: Acrylic acid; Methacrylic acid; Metal salts or ammonium salts thereof
- C08F 220/18: with acrylic or methacrylic acids
- C08F 220/28: containing no aromatic rings in the alcohol moiety
- C09D 5/027: {Dispersing agents (anti-settling agents C09D7/45)}
- C09D 17/008: {Titanium dioxide}
- B05D 7/14: to metal, e.g. car bodies (involving a chemical reaction between the metal and the coating C23)
- B05D 7/532: {the two layers being cured or baked together, i.e. wet on wet}
- B05D 2451/00: Type of carrier, type of coating (Multilayers)
- C09D: COATING COMPOSITIONS, e.g. PAINTS, VARNISHES OR LACQUERS; FILLING PASTES; CHEMICAL PAINT OR INK REMOVERS; INKS; CORRECTING FLUIDS; WOODSTAINS; PASTES OR SOLIDS FOR COLOURING OR PRINTING; USE OF MATERIALS THEREFOR (cosmetics A61K; processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces, in general, B05D; staining wood B27K5/02; glazes or vitreous enamels C03C; natural resins, French polish, drying-oils, driers, turpentine, per se, C09F; polishing compositions other than French polish, ski waxes C09G; adhesives or use of materials as adhesives C09J; materials for sealing or packing joints or covers C09K3/10; materials for stopping leaks C09K3/12; processes for the electrolytic or electrophoretic production of coatings C25D)
- C08F: MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVING CARBON-TO-CARBON UNSATURATED BONDS
- B05D: PROCESSES FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL (conveying articles or workpieces through baths of liquid B65G, e.g. B65G49/02)

## Abstract

Described herein are an aqueous pigment paste including at least one color pigment (a) and at least one polymer (b) which is preparable by successive radical emulsion polymerization of three monomer mixtures (A), (B) and (C) of olefinically unsaturated monomers in water, an aqueous basecoat material which is preparable by admixing the pigment paste to at least one aqueous binder-containing component suitable for preparing the basecoat material, a method for producing a multicoat paint system using this basecoat material, and use of the polymer (b) for dispersing color pigments within an aqueous pigment paste.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An aqueous pigment paste comprising:
(a) at least one color pigment, and
(b) at least one polymer having an average particle size in a range from 100 to 500 nm, prepared by successive radical emulsion polymerization of three monomer mixtures (A), (B), and (C) of olefinically unsaturated monomers in water, wherein the mixtures (A), (B), and (C) are different from one another, and
wherein:
the mixture (A) comprises at least 50 wt % of monomers having a solubility in water of less than 0.5 g/l at 25° C., and a polymer prepared from the mixture (A) possesses a glass transition temperature of 10 to 65° C.,
the mixture (B) comprises at least one polyunsaturated monomer, and a polymer prepared from the mixture (B) possesses a glass transition temperature of −35 to 15° C., and
a polymer prepared from the mixture (C) possesses a glass transition temperature of −50 to 15° C.,
and wherein:
in stage i. first the mixture (A) is polymerized,
in stage ii. then the mixture (B) is polymerized in the presence of the polymer prepared under stage i, and
in stage iii. thereafter the mixture (C) is polymerized in the presence of the polymer prepared under stage ii.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The pigment paste as claimed in claim 1, which comprises the at least one color pigment (a) in an amount of at least 5 wt %, based on a total weight of the pigment paste.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The pigment paste as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one color pigment (a) comprises a white pigment.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The pigment paste as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one color pigment (a) comprises titanium dioxide.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The pigment paste as claimed in claim 1, wherein a relative weight ratio of the at least one color pigment (a) to the polymer (b) in the pigment paste is in a range from 10:1 to 1:10.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The pigment paste as claimed in claim 1, which comprises the polymer (b) in an amount in a range from 1.5 to 20 wt %, based on a total weight of the pigment paste.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The pigment paste as claimed in claim 1, wherein a fraction of the mixture (A) used for preparing the polymer (b) is from 0.1 to 10 wt %, a fraction of the mixture (B) used for preparing the polymer (b) is from 60 to 80 wt %, and a fraction of the mixture (C) used for preparing the polymer (b) is from 10 to 30 wt %, based in each case on a sum of individual amounts of the mixtures (A), (B) and (C).

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The pigment paste as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mixture (A) comprises at least one monounsaturated ester of (meth)acrylic acid with an alkyl radical and at least one monoolefinically unsaturated monomer containing vinyl groups and having, arranged on the vinyl group, a radical which is aromatic or which is mixed saturated-aliphatic-aromatic, in which case aliphatic fractions of the radical are alkyl groups.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The pigment paste as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mixture (B) further comprises at least one monounsaturated ester of (meth)acrylic acid with an alkyl radical and at least one monoolefinically unsaturated monomer containing vinyl groups and having, arranged on the vinyl group, a radical which is aromatic or which is mixed saturated-aliphatic-aromatic, in which case aliphatic fractions of the radical are alkyl groups.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The pigment paste as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mixtures (A) and (B) contain no hydroxy-functional monomers and no acid-functional monomers.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The pigment paste as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mixture (C) comprises at least one alpha-beta unsaturated carboxylic acid, at least one monounsaturated ester of meth(acrylic) acid having an alkyl radical substituted by a hydroxyl group, and at least one monounsaturated ester of (meth)acrylic acid having an alkyl radical.

### Claim 12

A method for dispersing color pigments within an aqueous pigment paste, the method comprising:
using a polymer having a particle size in a range from 100 to 500 nm, prepared by successive radical emulsion polymerization of three monomer mixtures (A), (B) and (C) of olefinically unsaturated monomers in water, wherein the mixtures (A), (B), and (C) are different from one another, and
wherein
the mixture (A) comprises at least 50 wt % of monomers having a solubility in water of less than 0.5 g/l at 25° C., and a polymer prepared from the mixture (A) possesses a glass transition temperature of 10 to 65° C.,
the mixture (B) comprises at least one polyunsaturated monomer, and a polymer prepared from the mixture (B) possesses a glass transition temperature of −35 to 15° C., and
a polymer prepared from the mixture (C) possesses a glass transition temperature of
−50 to 15° C.,
and wherein
in stage i. first the mixture (A) is polymerized,
in stage ii. then the mixture (B) is polymerized in the presence of the polymer prepared under stage i, and
in stage iii. thereafter the mixture (C) is polymerized in the presence of the polymer prepared under stage ii.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

An aqueous basecoat material, wherein the basecoat material is prepared by admixing at least one pigment paste as claimed in claim 1 as component (1) to at least one aqueous component (2) which can be used for preparing a basecoat material and which comprises at least one polymer which can be used as binder, the polymer which can be used as binder comprising the polymer (b) also present in the pigment paste, and/or comprising at least one polymer different therefrom, wherein the basecoat material has improved long wave (LW) and distinctness of image (DOI) properties in a determination of a film thickness profile of the basecoat material as compared to film thickness profiles of otherwise similar basecoat materials.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

A method for producing a multicoat paint system, the method comprising the stages of:
(1a) applying an aqueous basecoat material to a substrate,
(2a) forming a first polymer film from the aqueous basecoat material applied in stage (1a),
(1b) optionally applying a further aqueous basecoat material to the first polymer film thus formed,
(2b) optionally forming a second polymer film from the aqueous basecoat material applied in stage (1b),
(3) applying a clearcoat material to at least one of the first and second polymer films, and subsequently
(4) jointly curing the at least one of the first and second polymer films together with the clearcoat material,
wherein the basecoat material as claimed in claim 13 is used in stage (1a) or—if the method further comprises stages (1b) and (2b)—in stage (1a) and/or (1b).

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein a metered addition of the olefinically unsaturated monomers in stages i. to iii. for preparing the polymer (b) takes place in such a way that in a reaction solution a fraction of free monomers does not exceed 6.0 wt %, based on a total amount of the monomers used in the respective polymerization stage, throughout a reaction time.