Dr. Dmitri Kopeliovich
Solvent-borne paints (oil paints) are the paints formulated on the base of Hydrocarbon solvents serving as a vehicle carrying the solid components (binders, pigments and additives).
A solvent-borne paint may contain up to 80% of solid constituents dispersed in the solvent.
The functions of solvents in the paints:
A wide range of hydrocarbon solvents are used for paint formulation:
Most of solvents are produced in petrochemical industry as volatile fractions in refinery of crude oil.
Some solvents are prepared from plants, for example turpentine produced by the distillation of resin obtained from pine trees.
Solvent-borne paints dry rapidly and may contain a wide range of binders.
The main disadvantage of the solvent-borne paints is their toxicity. Hydrocarbon solvents refer to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which evaporate fast and enter human body through breathing the fumes. Another disadvantage of the solvent-borne paints is flammability (low flash point and autoignition point).