Impact of Functional Group Distribution on the Adsorption of a Polymeric Dispersant

By Iwao Soga

Binder polymers functionalized with a small amount of polar groups satisfy both the dispersion quality of paints and the mechanical strength of coating films. For industrial-grade polydisperse dispersant polymers, functional groups are not evenly distributed among the polymer chains. The functional group distribution in polyurethane dispersant polymers was investigated by statistical estimation and an adsorption experiment.

The polymeric dispersants had a broad functional group distribution and contained a significant amount of non-functionalized chains. By considering the existence of these ineffective chains, the dispersion behavior of the paint was more clearly explained. The described method can be a useful tool to analyze the structure and the properties of polydisperse functionalized polymers for various applications.