PFAS-free slip and matting additives (PTFE replacement)
Deuteron organic polymethylurea additives that give coatings and inks low friction, scratch resistance, and soft-touch feel, with no fluorine. A direct path off PTFE micronized wax.
Deuteron organic polymethylurea additives that give coatings and inks low friction, scratch resistance, and soft-touch feel, with no fluorine. A direct path off PTFE micronized wax.
PTFE micronized waxes have been a standard surface additive in coatings and inks for decades. They deliver slip, scratch and mar resistance, and a smooth, low-friction finish. PTFE is a fluoropolymer, and it falls inside the broad definition of PFAS that regulators in the United States and Europe are now restricting.
That puts formulators in a position where a well-proven additive may need to come out of the formulation. The replacement has to hold the same surface performance, or the finished coating loses the properties the PTFE was there to provide.
Deuteron builds its PTFE-replacement additives from organic polymethylurea (PMU), a micronized organic thermoset, the same chemistry family behind its matting agents. As a surface additive it lowers the coefficient of friction, adds scratch and mar resistance, and gives a soft, matte tactile feel. These are the properties a coating gets from a PTFE wax, delivered with no fluorine in the additive.
Polymethylurea additives have become a recognized route to fluorine-free slip, which is why the chemistry is the practical answer when a PTFE wax has to come out of a formulation. Cross-references against common PTFE micronized-wax additives are available on request.
There is a second benefit. Because PMU is also a matting chemistry, many PMU surface additives do two jobs at once. A single additive can reduce gloss and add slip and scratch resistance, which can simplify a formulation that previously used a separate matting agent and a separate slip wax.
Soft, low-gloss, scratch-resistant finishes where feel and durability both matter.
A warm, matte tactile feel for electronics housings, automotive interiors, and premium packaging.
Rub resistance on the finished print without fluorochemistry.
Slip and scratch resistance in 2K polyurethane and coil-coating systems.
PMU surface and matting additives that hold up in radiation-cure systems.
Many grades reduce gloss and add slip and scratch resistance at the same time.
Polymethylurea is an organic urea-based thermoset. For a PFAS-conscious formulation, we can supply the Technical Data Sheet and Safety Data Sheet so your regulatory and qualification review has the additive's composition data in hand. Tell us what your review requires and we will pull the documents.
No. Polymethylurea is an organic urea-based thermoset. It contains no fluorine, which is the reason it is used as a fluorine-free replacement for PTFE micronized-wax additives.
PMU additives deliver the same surface properties that formulators use PTFE waxes for: low friction, scratch and mar resistance, and soft feel. Every formulation is different, so the right approach is to match the additive by the property you need and trial it. Cross-references and samples are available on request.
Many of the PMU surface additives do both, reducing gloss and adding slip and scratch resistance in a single additive. Tell us the gloss target and the feel you want and we will recommend a grade.