Polymer, polymer modified titanium dioxide pigment, and method of forming a pigmented paint formulation

1. A polymer modified titanium dioxide pigment that is capable of forming a composite with latex particles when admixed therewith, comprising:

a plurality of titanium dioxide particles; and

a polymer associated with said titanium dioxide particles, said polymer including:

a water soluble polymer backbone;

at least one hydrophobic functional group attached to said polymer backbone and having an affinity for latex; and

at least one functional group attached to said polymer backbone and bonded to said titanium dioxide particles, wherein said functional group attached to said polymer backbone and bonded to said titanium dioxide particles is formed by the reaction of said polymer backbone with a compound selected from the group consisting of acids of phosphorous, hydroxyl carboxylic acid, salts of hydroxyl carboxylic acid, polycarboxylic acid, salts of polycarboxylic acid, carboxylate based betaines, sulfonate based betaines, phosphate based betaines and mixtures thereof.

2. The polymer modified titanium dioxide pigment of claim 1 , wherein said functional group attached to said polymer backbone and bonded to said titanium dioxide particles is formed by the reaction of said polymer backbone with a compound selected from the group consisting of phosphonic-carboxylic acid, salts of phosphonic-carboxylic acid, hydroxyl carboxylic acid, salts of hydroxyl carboxylic acid, polycarboxylic acid, salts of polycarboxylic acid, carboxylate based betaines, sulfonate based betaines, phosphate based betaines and mixtures thereof.

3. The polymer modified titanium dioxide pigment of claim 2 , wherein said functional group attached to said polymer backbone and bonded to said titanium dioxide particles is formed by the reaction of said polymer backbone with a compound selected from the group consisting of phosphonic-carboxylic acid and salts of phosphonic-carboxylic acid.

4. The polymer modified titanium dioxide pigment of claim 3 , wherein said functional group attached to said polymer backbone and bonded to said titanium dioxide particles is formed by the reaction of said polymer backbone with 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid.

5. The polymer modified titanium dioxide pigment of claim 2 , wherein said functional group attached to said polymer backbone and bonded to said titanium dioxide particles is formed by the reaction of said polymer backbone with a compound selected from the group consisting of hydroxyl carboxylic acid and salts of hydroxyl carboxylic acid.

6. The polymer modified titanium dioxide pigment of claim 5 , wherein said functional group attached to said polymer backbone and bonded to said titanium dioxide particles is formed by the reaction of said polymer backbone with a compound selected from the group consisting of citric acid, tartaric acid and mixtures thereof.

7. The polymer modified titanium dioxide pigment of claim 2 , wherein said functional group attached to said polymer backbone and bonded to said titanium dioxide particles is formed by the reaction of said polymer backbone with a compound selected from the group consisting of carboxylate based betaines, sulfonate based betaines, phosphate based betaines and mixtures thereof.

8. The polymer modified titanium dioxide pigment of claim 1 , wherein said hydrophobic functional group attached to said polymer backbone and having an affinity for latex is a super hydrophobic functional group.

9. The polymer modified titanium dioxide pigment of claim 1 , wherein said hydrophobic functional group attached to said polymer backbone and having an affinity for latex is formed by the reaction of said polymer backbone with a compound selected from the group of aliphatic compounds, aromatic compounds and aliphatic-aromatic compounds.

10. The polymer modified titanium dioxide pigment of claim 1 , wherein said hydrophobic functional group attached to said polymer backbone and having an affinity for latex is formed by the reaction of said polymer backbone with an alcohol.

11. The polymer modified titanium dioxide pigment of claim 10 , wherein said hydrophobic functional group attached to said polymer backbone and having an affinity for latex is formed by the reaction of said polymer backbone with a compound selected from the group consisting of fatty alcohols, saturated ethoxylated alcohols, alkyl phenols, aryl phenols, ethoxylated alkyl phenols and ethoxylated aryl phenols.

12. The polymer modified titanium dioxide pigment of claim 1 , wherein said hydrophobic functional group attached to said polymer backbone and having an affinity for latex is formed by the reaction of said polymer backbone with a compound selected from the group consisting of esters, thiols, acids, anhydrides and acyl halides.

13. The polymer modified titanium dioxide pigment of claim 1 , wherein said water soluble polymer backbone comprises nitrogen.

14. The polymer modified titanium dioxide pigment of claim 13 , wherein said water soluble polymer backbone is selected from the group consisting of polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyethylenimine, polyoxazolines and polyamides.

15. The polymer modified titanium dioxide pigment of claim 1 , wherein said water soluble polymer backbone is selected from the group consisting of polyoxymethylene, polysaccharide, polyoxazoline, and polyvinyl ether.

16. The polymer modified titanium dioxide pigment of claim 1 , wherein said water soluble polymer backbone is a polyoxyalkylene polymer or copolymer.

17. The polymer modified titanium dioxide pigment of claim 1 , wherein said polymer has the following formula:

wherein R 0 is said water soluble polymer backbone, R 1 is said hydrophobic functional group attached to said polymer backbone and having an affinity for latex, R 2 is formed by the reaction of a diisocyanate or polyisocyanate with said water soluble polymeric backbone, R 3 is said functional group attached to said polymer backbone and capable of forming a bond with titanium dioxide, and x is any integer greater than or equal to one.

18. The polymer modified titanium dioxide pigment of claim 17 , wherein R 0 has the following formula:

wherein R 4 and R 5 are compounds selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, or pentyl group and wherein y and z can both be any integer greater than or equal to one.

19. The polymer modified titanium dioxide pigment of claim 1 , wherein said polymer is present in said polymer modified titanium dioxide pigment in an amount in the range of from about 0.02% to about 2% by weight, based on the weight of said titanium dioxide particles.

20. The polymer modified titanium dioxide pigment of claim 1 , further comprising an aqueous media.