SLIP RESISTANT PRODUCT

Abstract

A method is described for increasing the slip resistance of a substrate. In embodiments, the method deposits a liquid treatment composition including at least one acid on a substrate that has at least one external surface that includes a salifiable alkaline or alkaline earth compound.

Claims

1. A method of improving slip resistance of a substrate, the method comprising the following steps: a) providing a substrate, wherein the substrate comprises at least one external surface comprising a salifiable alkaline or alkaline earth compound, b) providing a fluorine-free treatment composition comprising at least one acid, and c) applying the treatment composition onto the at least one external surface of the substrate to form a slip resistant surface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a material selected from the group consisting of metal, glass, marble, natural stone, dolomitic stone, engineered stone, composite stone, brick, concrete, ceramic, cement, porcelain, enamel, wood, engineered wood, wooden plastic composite, and combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one external surface and the substrate of step a) are made from the same material.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the salifiable alkaline or alkaline earth compound is an alkaline or alkaline earth oxide, an alkaline or alkaline earth hydroxide, an alkaline or alkaline earth alkoxide, an alkaline or alkaline earth methylcarbonate, an alkaline or alkaline earth hydroxycarbonate, an alkaline or alkaline earth bicarbonate, an alkaline or alkaline earth carbonate, or a mixtures thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one acid is selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, sulphurous acid, phosphoric acid, citric acid, oxalic acid, acetic acid, formic acid, sulphamic acid, tartaric acid, phytic acid, boric acid, succinic acid, suberic acid, benzoic acid, adipic acid, pimelic acid, azelaic acid, sebaic acid, isocitric acid, aconitic acid, propane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid, trimesic acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid, mandelic acid, acidic organosulfur compounds, acidic organophosphorus compounds, phosphonic acid, and mixtures thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the treatment composition further comprises a printing ink, a pigmented ink, a colorant, a dye, metal ions, transition metal ions, a surfactant, a dispersant, a biocide, a corrosion inhibitor, a hydrophobising agent, a wax, a polymer and/or a polymerizing composition.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the treatment composition comprises the at least one acid in an amount from 0.1 wt.-% to 100 wt.-%, based on the total weight of the liquid treatment composition.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the treatment composition is applied by spray coating, inkjet printing, offset printing, flexographic printing, screen printing, plotting, contact stamping, rotogravure printing, powder coating, spin coating, reverse gravure coating, slot coating, curtain coating, slide bed coating, film press, metered film press, blade coating, brush coating and/or a pencil.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the treatment composition is continuously applied to the entire at least one external surface.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the treatment composition is applied onto the at least one external surface in a form of a preselected pattern.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises the salifiable alkaline or alkaline earth compound in an amount at least 1 wt.-%, based on the total weight of the substrate.

12. A substrate with a slip resistant surface obtained by the method according to claim 1.

13. A product comprising a substrate with a slip resistant surface according to claim 12, wherein the product is a floor covering, a roof covering, a wall covering, a tile, a tessera, a brick, a paving stone, a fair faced concrete surface, a stair, a step, a table, a shelf, a bath tub, a saucer, or a door mat.

14. A decorative application, an artistic application, a visual application, a building application, a reconstruction application, or a household application, comprising a substrate with a slip resistant surface according to claim 12.

15. The method of claim 4, wherein the salifiable alkaline or alkaline earth compound is an alkaline or alkaline earth carbonate selected from the group consisting of the salifiable alkaline or alkaline earth compound is an alkaline or alkaline earth carbonate being selected from lithium carbonate, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, calcium magnesium carbonate, calcium carbonate, or mixtures thereof.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the salifiable alkaline or alkaline earth compound is calcium carbonate selected from the group consisting of ground calcium carbonate, precipitated calcium carbonate and surface-treated calcium carbonate.

17. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one acid is phosphoric and/or sulphuric acid.

18. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one acid is present in an amount selected from the group consisting of from 1 wt.% to 80 wt.%, from 3 wt.% to 60 wt.% and from 10 wt.% to 50 wt.%.

19. The method of claim 8, wherein the treatment composition is applied by inkjet printing or spray coating.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein the preselected pattern is selected from the group consisting of a channel, a barrier, an array, a one-dimensional bar code, a two-dimensional bar code, a three-dimensional bar code, a security mark, a label, a number, a letter, an alphanumeric symbol, a logo, an image, a shape, a design, and a combination thereof.

21. The method of claim 11, wherein the amount of the salifiable alkaline or alkaline earth material is selected from the group consisting of at least 5 wt.%, at least 10 wt.%, at least 25 wt.% and at least 50 wt.%.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

[0129] FIG. 1 shows a digital image of a substrate comprising a slip resistant surface in form of a logo.

[0130] FIG. 2 shows a digital image of a substrate comprising a slip resistant surface in form of a logo.

[0131] FIG. 3 shows a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) image of an untreated substrate A (top), and a graph of the determined surface roughness (bottom).

[0132] FIG. 4 shows a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) image of the slip resistant surface area of a substrate manufactured according to the method of the present invention (top), and graph of the determined surface roughness (bottom).

[0133] FIG. 5 shows a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) image of an untreated substrate A (top), and a graph of the determined surface roughness (bottom).

[0134] FIG. 6 shows a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) image of the slip resistant surface area of a substrate manufactured according to the method of the present invention (top), and graph of the determined surface roughness (bottom).

[0135] FIG. 7 shows a graph of the determined surface roughness values of untreated substrates and substrates with a slip resistant surface manufactured according to the method of the present invention.

EXAMPLES

[0136] In the following, measurement methods and materials implemented in the examples are described.

1. Methods

Digital Images

[0137] Digital images of the prepared samples were recorded with an EOS 600D digital camera equipped with a Canon Macro lens, EF-S 60 mm, 1:2.8 USM (Canon Japan).

Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) Micrographs

[0138] The prepared samples were examined by a Sigma VP field emission scanning electron microscope (Carl Zeiss AG, Germany) and a variable pressure secondary electron detector (VPSE) with a chamber pressure of about 50 Pa.

Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM)

[0139] The surface roughness of the prepared samples was examined with a Zeiss LSMS Pascal with Ar & He/Ne-Laser, with ZEN and Mountains Imaging Software (ZEN 2009 Version 6.0SP2 Version 6.0.0.303; MountainsMap Universal 7.2 ConfoMap ST Version 7.2.7568).

2. Materials

Substrates

[0140] Substrate A: Engineered stone comprising 90 wt.-% calcium carbonate, 7 wt.-% polyester resin, 3 wt.-% other minerals such as quartz and various silicates (wt.-% are based on the total weight of the stone substrate).

[0141] Substrate B: Engineered stone comprising 90 wt.-% calcium carbonate, 7 wt.-% polyester resin, 1-2 wt.-% of blue colorant, and other minerals such as quartz and various silicates (wt.-% are based on the total weight of the stone substrate).

Treatment Composition

[0142] 41 wt.-% phosphoric acid, 23 wt.-% ethanol, and 36 wt.-% water (wt.-% are based on the total weight of the treatment composition).

3. Examples

[0143] Samples were prepared by applying the treatment composition in form of a logo (Omya) on substrates A and B with an inkjet printer (Dimatix DMP 2831, Fujifilm Dimatix Inc., USA) with 10 pl (pico litre) droplet size with a drop spacing of 30 m on engineered stone substrates A and B. Before analysis, the samples were washed with hand soap under running tap water.

[0144] FIG. 1 shows a digital image of the printed slip-resistant surface in form of logo on substrate A, and FIG. 2 shows a shows a digital image of the printed slip-resistant surface in form of logo on substrate B.

[0145] FIG. 3 shows a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) image of the untreated substrate A (top), and a graph of the determined surface roughness (bottom). FIG. 4 shows a CLSM image of the slip resistant surface area of substrate A (top), and graph of the determined surface roughness (bottom). FIG. 5 shows a CLSM image of the untreated substrate B (top), and graph of the determined surface roughness (bottom). FIG. 6 shows a CLSM image of the slip resistant surface area of substrate B (top), and graph of the determined surface roughness (bottom).

[0146] It can be gathered from FIGS. 4 and 6 that the surface roughness of the substrates prepared according to the method of the present invention is increased. A comparison of the surface roughness values of the surfaces of the untreated substrates A and B and the treated surfaces of the substrates A and B is presented in FIG. 7. The shown values are average results taken from 10 samples (10 different spots on the same stone sample). Said figure reveals that the surface roughness is increased by the inventive method between 2 and 3 times compared to the untreated surfaces.