Dispersing agents

Dispersing agents are surface-active ingredients, which ease the incorporation of pigments and fillers into a liquid. Agglomerates are broken up by shearing whereby new surfaces are created. They are wetted by dispersing agents which stabilize the aggregates of pigments or fillers. Dispersing agents have an amphiphilic structure which combines the following requirements:

They must be capable of being strongly adsorbed onto the particle surface and therefore possess specific anchoring groups. As a second requirement the molecule must contain polymeric chains that give steric stabilization in the required system. Dispersing agents can provide ionic stabilization if they contain anionic or cationic structure elements.