Analysis of the wetting behaviour of pigments and the effectiveness of surfactants

A new test method is introduced to analyse the wetting behaviour of pigments and the effectiveness of surfactants. The method involves the study of torque vs time curves obtained during the wetting of pigments by surfactant solutions. These curves provide valuable information regarding the wetting behaviour of pigments and the ability of the surfactant to wet the pigment. To study the wetting behaviour, two pigments which varied widely in their surface character are studied with the same surfactant, while, to study the effectiveness of the surfactant, different surfactants with differing polarity are studied using the same pigment. The results are found to be consistent with the theoretical expectations.