SHIELDEX® Silica for Land, Sea, and Air
An environmentally friendly solution for corrosion protection
A land, sea, and air challenge
When oxygen and water meet base metals, trouble may be near in the form of corrosion. Corrosion—or electrochemical oxidation—transforms metals into metal oxides, which weaken the integrity of built structures like bridges, pipes, or vehicles on land, in the air, or at sea.
It is dangerous to underestimate this relatively slow process, which can result in catastrophic structural failures. Corrosion weakens and discolors metal, leading to one of the most expensive and destructive side effects when exposing metal to the elements.
With our long-trusted SHIELDEX® silica products, we have shown that metal coatings can be both highly effective and environmentally safe—even in the harshest natural environments.
Senior Global Marketing Manager, Coatings
Premium anticorrosion protection
Applying a suitable coating system is one of the most common solutions to proactively reduce corrosion. Passive coatings protect metal structures, creating a barrier effect by reducing water concentration at the metal’s surface. There is an opportunity for manufacturers to bolster corrosion protection, however.
Protection performance can be enhanced by using active anticorrosion pigments, such as SHIELDEX® silica. Used in the coating formulation, these pigments shift the passive character into an active system, which responds to a changing environment.
Pigments containing SHIELDEX® ion-exchanged silica can be used in general industrial primers as well as primers for coil, automotive, and marine coatings. “The durability and anticorrosive properties of SHIELDEX® silica are strengthened when combined with synergist chemistries,” says James Bowler, Senior Global Marketing Manager of Coatings at Grace. SHIELDEX® silica pigments protect against a wide variety of environmental conditions, including saltwater exposure, and ultimately provide the protection needed to help achieve extended warranties on premier products.
An environmentally friendly solution
Countries and organizations continue to seek alternative solutions to meet increased regulatory demands for environmentally friendly products. Common anticorrosive additives like hexavalent chromates—for example, zinc or strontium chromate—are toxic, with regulations limiting their use in industrial applications. Coatings manufacturers continue to explore anticorrosive additives, like SHIELDEX® silica that are classified as environmentally friendly alternatives to heavy metals.
Grace has used modified synthetic silica with a calcium ion exchange as an additive in high-performance industrial coatings of metal and paints for over 20 years. “With our long-trusted silica products, we have shown that metal coatings can be both highly effective and environmentally safe—even in the harshest natural environments,” Bowler says.
Customized silica
Grace’s experts can also customize silica particles for specific protective coating performance needs. Contact us to learn more about environmentally friendly anticorrosion additives for your project.