A Simple Method for Measuring the Immobilization Solids of Coating Colors Using an AA-CWR Water Retention Meter

The water retention of coating colors can be accurately measured by devices such as an AA-GWR water retention meter whose principle of measurement Is based on pressure filtration of coatings under an externally applied air pressure over a certain period of time. It was hypothesized that such devices could be also used to determine the immobilization solids (IMS) of coating colors by determining a sudden drop in the rate of dewatering, that is, a sudden change in the drainage curves. To test this hypothesis, the immobilization solids of coating colors containing various thickeners and water retention additives at different levels were first accurately measured by a modified immobilization tester based on the well-known gloss drop method, and then their values were compared with those obtained by an AA-GWR water retention tester. They agreed very well and showed that the standard deviation is only 0.14% in the IMS points between both methods. This good agreement was not surprising because both test methods are based on the same end-point, that is, the immobilization solids point at which menisci begin to form at the coating surface. Theoretical considerations supporting this new method for measuring the immobilization solids of coating colors are presented and some recommendations for the test method are discussed. Also, the effect of various thickeners and water retention additives on the properties and printability of coated papers is discussed.