Off-white and gray autodeposition coatings

1. A method of depositing a white to off-white or gray autodeposition coating on an active metal substrate surface comprising:

contacting an active metal substrate surface for 0.5 to 10 minutes, with an autodeposition bath composition to form a white to off-white or gray initially adherent coating on said surface; said autodeposition bath composition comprising:

a. an aqueous solution of an autodeposition accelerator comprising an acid, in an amount such that the composition has a pH of about 1.0 to about 4.0, and at least one oxidizing agent;

b. particles of a coating-forming polymeric material dispersed throughout the composition;

c. a component of non-black solid pigment particles, stabilized against said acid, dispersed throughout the composition;

d. an emulsifying component comprising an anionic surfactant; and,

optionally,

e. black pigment and/or finely divided solids suitable as fillers in the coatings to be formed from the composition;

wherein relative hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity of the non-black solid pigment particles and hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity of the particles of a coating-forming polymeric material are such that the non-black solid pigment particles remain dispersed in the bath in absence of active metal and deposit adherently on the active metal substrate in said contacting step, said composition being effective to chemically attack, in the absence of an external electrical potential, the active metal surface immersed therein to dissolve therefrom metal to release ions of said metal and sufficient to cause said polymeric material and said non-black solid pigment particles to deposit on the active metal surface as the initially adherent coating which increases in weight or thickness the longer the time said surface is immersed in said composition;

rinsing said initially adherent coating with a rinse comprising water;

optionally, drying said initially adherent coating; and

curing said initially adherent coating to form a cured, white to off-white or gray coating.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said acid is hydrofluoric and said non-black solid pigment particles comprise a titanium dioxide core, a first coating of an oxide different from titanium dioxide and a second coating of an organic material.

3. The method of depositing a white to off-white or gray autodeposition coating according to claim 2 wherein said first coating of an oxide comprises oxides that are substantially insoluble in said acid.

4. The method of depositing a white to off-white or gray autodeposition coating according to claim 2 wherein said first coating of an oxide comprises oxides selected from Al 2 O 3 , ZrO 2 and mixtures thereof.

5. The method of depositing a white to off-white or gray autodeposition coating according to claim 4 wherein said composition comprises hydrolysis products of Al 2 O 3 and/or ZrO 2 .

6. The method of depositing a white to off-white or gray autodeposition coating according to claim 2 wherein said second coating of an organic material comprises an anionic dispersing additive, a cationic dispersing additives or a non-ionic dispersing additive.

7. The method of depositing a white to off-white or gray autodeposition coating according to claim 2 wherein said second coating of an organic material comprises at least one of polyphosphates, epichlorohydrin resins, dicyandiamide resins, polyols and polyesters.

8. The method of depositing a white to off-white or gray autodeposition coating according to claim 1 having a weight ratio of the non-black solid pigment particles to the polymeric material that ranges from 1-49% by weight.

9. The method of depositing a white to off-white or gray autodeposition coating according to claim 1 having a weight ratio of the non-black solid pigment particles to the polymeric material that ranges from 5:95 to 40:60.

10. The method of depositing a white to off-white or gray autodeposition coating according to claim 1 wherein said anionic surfactant is selected from surfactants having at least one sulfate, sulphonate, phosphate, or phosphonate functional group.

11. The method of depositing a white to off-white or gray autodeposition coating according to claim 1 wherein said anionic surfactant maintains dispersion of the particles of a coating-forming polymeric material and the component of non-black solid pigment particles, such that said polymeric material and said pigment particles deposit on the active metal surface as the initially adherent coating.

12. The method of depositing a white to off-white or gray autodeposition coating according to claim 1 wherein component c) comprises modified TiO 2 particles provided as an aqueous slurry.

13. The method of making a white to off-white or gray autodeposition coating bath of claim 12 wherein the aqueous slurry is modified with the anionic surfactant of d).

14. The method of depositing a white to off-white or gray autodeposition coating according to claim 1 wherein said polymeric material is selected from the group consisting of styrene-butadiene, acrylonitrile-butadiene, polyethylene, acrylic, tetrafluoroethylene, polyvinyl chloride, urethane resins, styrene-acrylic, epoxy, and epoxy-acrylic materials.

15. The method of depositing a white to off-white or gray autodeposition coating according to claim 1 wherein said acid comprises hydrofluoric acid and the coating-forming polymeric material is selected from epoxy or epoxy-acrylic material.

16. The method of depositing a white to off-white or gray autodeposition coating according to claim 1 wherein said non-black solid pigment particles comprise a titanium dioxide core, a first coating of an oxide comprising zirconia and a second coating of an organic material.

17. The method of depositing a white to off-white or gray autodeposition coating on an active metal substrate surface of claim 1 , further comprising, prior to the contacting step, a step of:

forming a mixture comprising:

a. water;

b. particles of a coating-forming polymeric material;

c. a component of non-black solid pigment particles, stabilized against said acid;

d. a surfactant package comprising an emulsifying component comprising an anionic surfactant, and optionally a second stabilizing surfactant different from the emulsifying component;

e. an acid, in an amount such that the coating bath has a pH of about 1.0 to about 4.0, and

f. at least one oxidizing agent; and,

optionally,

g. black pigment and/or finely divided solids suitable as fillers in the coatings to be formed from the composition;

wherein b.), c.) and d.) are selected such that partitioning of d.) between b.) and c.) provides an equilibrium condition such that dispersion of polymer particles and pigment particles is maintained; said composition being effective to chemically attack, in the absence of an external electrical potential, the active metal surface immersed therein to dissolve therefrom metal to release ions of said metal and sufficient to cause said polymeric material and said non-black solid pigment particles to deposit on the active metal surface as the initially adherent coating which increases in weight or thickness the longer the time said surface is immersed in said composition.

18. The method of depositing a white to off-white or gray autodeposition coating on an active metal substrate surface of claim 17 wherein component c) comprises modified TiO 2 particles provided as an aqueous slurry.

19. The method of depositing a white to off-white or gray autodeposition coating on an active metal substrate surface of claim 18 wherein the aqueous slurry is modified with the anionic surfactant of d).

20. The method of depositing a white to off-white or gray autodeposition coating on an active metal substrate surface of claim 17 wherein said acid comprises hydrofluoric acid and the coating-forming polymeric material is selected from epoxy or epoxy-acrylic material.

21. The method of depositing a white to off-white or gray autodeposition coating on an active metal substrate surface of claim 17 wherein said non-black solid pigment particles comprise a titanium dioxide core, a first coating of an oxide comprising zirconia and a second coating of an organic material.

22. A method of depositing a white to off-white or gray autodeposition coating on an active metal substrate surface comprising:

forming an autodeposition bath comprising:

a. water;

b. particles of a coating-forming polymeric material;

c. a component of non-black solid pigment particles, stabilized against HF, the particles comprising a titanium dioxide core, a first coating of an oxide different from titanium dioxide and a second coating of an organic material comprising at least one of polyphosphates, epichlorohydrin resins, dicyandiamide resins and polyols;

d. a surfactant package comprising an emulsifying component comprising an anionic surfactant, and optionally a second stabilizing surfactant different from the emulsifying component;

e. HF, and

f. at least one oxidizing agent; and,

optionally,

g. black pigment and/or finely divided solids suitable as fillers in the coatings to be formed from the composition;

wherein b.), c.) and d.) are selected such that partitioning of d.) between b.) and c.) provides an equilibrium condition such that dispersion of polymer particles and pigment particles is maintained; said composition being effective to chemically attack, in the absence of an external electrical potential, the active metal surface immersed therein to dissolve therefrom metal to release ions of said metal and sufficient to cause said polymeric material and said non-black solid pigment particles to deposit on the active metal surface as the initially adherent coating which increases in weight or thickness the longer the time said surface is immersed in said composition;

contacting an active metal substrate surface for 0.5 to 10 minutes, with said autodeposition bath composition to form a white to off-white or gray initially adherent coating on said surface;

rinsing said initially adherent coating with a rinse comprising water;

optionally, drying said initially adherent coating; and

curing said initially adherent coating to form a cured, white to off-white or gray coating.

23. The method of depositing a white to off-white or gray autodeposition coating on an active metal substrate surface of claim 22 wherein relative hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity of the non-black solid pigment particles and hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity of the particles of a coating-forming polymeric material are such that the non-black solid pigment particles remain dispersed in the bath and deposit adherently on the active metal substrate.