Coating composition comprising boehmite particles and one or more dispersants and a method of coating a substrate using said coating composition

1. A coating composition containing boehmite particles, the composition comprising one or more dispersants in association with an aqueous dispersing medium, wherein said dispersant comprises a compound having an anchoring moiety linked to a polymeric hydrophilic moiety, said anchoring moiety containing at least one acid and/or hydroxy group and having an overall acidity or neutrality and said polymeric moiety having a lower affinity for a boehmite surface than said anchoring moiety and wherein said boehmite particles have a crystallite particle size in the range 8-80 nm, wherein said polymeric hydrophilic moiety is selected from the group consisting of polyacrylamide, poly-N,N-di-methylacrylamide, poly-2-acryl-amido-2-hydroxy-methyl-1,3-propandiol, poly-methacrylamide, poly-N-methylacrylamide, poly-N-methyl-methacrylamide, and mixtures thereof.

2. A composition as claimed in claim 1 wherein each acid group is independently selected from the group consisting of a carboxylic acid, sulfonic acid and phosphoric acid.

3. A coating composition containing boehmite particles, the composition comprising one or more dispersants in association with an aqueous dispersing medium, wherein said dispersant comprises a compound having an anchoring moiety linked to a polymeric hydrophilic moiety, said anchoring moiety containing at least one acid and/or hydroxy group and having an overall acidity or neutrality and said polymeric moiety having a lower affinity for a boehmite surface than said anchoring moiety and wherein said boehmite particles have a crystallite particle size in the range 8-80 nm, wherein said compound has the formula (I):—

wherein

A is carbon or nitrogen,

R′ is hydrogen or an alkyl, aryl or heterocyclic group and m is 1 when A is carbon and m is 0 when A is nitrogen;

B is an acid group or an ester or amide thereof, or a hydroxy group;

each E is independently hydrogen, an amino group, or an acid group or an ester or amide of an acid group, and n is 0 or an integer from 1 to 10;

D is a hydrogen atom, an amino group, an acid group or an ester or amide of an acid group, an alkyl group, or an alkyl group substituted with one or more acid groups or an ester or amide of an acid group;

G is a carbonyl group or an alkylene, aminoalkylene or oxyalkylene group and p is 0 or 1;

L is a linking group and z is 0 or 1;

D and L or D, G and L may combine with A to form 5-, 6- or 7-membered ring which may include one or more further heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur;

each M is a monomer unit, which may be the same or different, comprising an acrylamide or methacrylamide, and x is 5-200; and

F is hydrogen or a substituent selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, an alkyl group, a thiol, a neutral thioether, an ether, an ester, an alkyl-sulfonate and an aryl-sulfonate group;

with the proviso that (a) the number of acid groups is equal to or greater than the number of amino groups therein and (b) there is at least one hydroxy or acid group.

4. A composition as claimed in claim 3 wherein A is carbon and R′ is hydrogen or a methyl group.

5. A composition as claimed in claim 3 wherein any acid group as or forming part of B, E, D or G is independently selected from the group consisting of a carboxylic acid, sulfonic acid and phosphoric acid.

6. A composition as claimed in claim 3 wherein z is 1 and L is sulfur.

7. A composition as claimed in claim 3 wherein x is 10-50.

8. A composition as claimed in claim 3 wherein monomer unit M is acrylamide or N,N-dimethylacryl-amide or a mixture thereof.

9. A composition as claimed in claim 3 wherein the compound has the structure

wherein x is from 10 to 50.

10. A composition as claimed in claim 3 wherein the ratio of said dispersant to boehmite particles is 5:1000 to 25:1000 w/w.

11. A method of coating a substrate comprising the steps of

(a) providing a composition of boehmite particles;

(b) combining said composition with one or more dispersants in association with an aqueous dispersing medium, and optionally a binder, to form a coating composition according to claim 3 ,

(c) applying said coating composition to said substrate to form a coating thereon and

(d) drying said resultant coating.

12. A coating composition containing boehmite particles, the composition comprising one or more dispersants in association with an aqueous dispersing medium, wherein said dispersant comprises a compound having an anchoring moiety linked to a polymeric hydrophilic moiety, said anchoring moiety containing at least one acid and/or hydroxy group and having an overall acidity or neutrality and said polymeric moiety having a lower affinity for a boehmite surface than said anchoring moiety and wherein said boehmite particles have a crystallite particle size in the range 8-80 nm, wherein the boehmite content in the composition is 30-45 wt %.

13. A coating composition containing boehmite particles, the composition comprising one or more dispersants in association with an aqueous dispersing medium, wherein said dispersant comprises a compound having an anchoring moiety linked to a polymeric hydrophilic moiety, said anchoring moiety containing at least one acid and/or hydroxy group and having an overall acidity or neutrality and said polymeric moiety having a lower affinity for a boehmite surface than said anchoring moiety and wherein said boehmite particles have a crystallite particle size in the range 20-60 nm.

14. A composition as claimed in claim 13 wherein said boehmite particles have a crystallite particle size in the range 30-50 nm.