Improved Performance in Waterborne All-Acrylic Latex without PFAS

By Mary C. Chervenak, Donovan Lujan, Jeffrey Arendt

Although liquid suspensions of pigment were first used more than 30,000 years ago in a decorative capacity, the utility of paint as protection was not fully realized until the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, when the first paint and varnish factories began mass-production of ready-made coatings. While the automotive industry introduced the need for anti-corrosive coatings, special-purpose coatings were eventually developed for other products and industries, including farm equipment, children’s toys, furniture, and food production. Historically, in addition to innovation, the coatings industry has recognized and responded to potential negative impacts of product chemistries on human health and the surrounding environment.