A coating is a covering which is applied to a substrate in order to serve decorative, functional or both purposes. Paints and coatings are formulated to suit the specific purpose they are designed to serve. Functional coatings may be applied to change the surface properties of the substrate, for instance, they can enhance adhesion, corrosion resistance or wetability. Marking coatings are the coatings which are used to mark traffic zones on a road or to demarcate production areas from walking aisles in factories and storage areas in warehouses. Marking coatings find numerous uses in industries. One of the primary requirements of marking coatings is pigment brightness. Titanium dioxide is a key raw material required to manufacture marking coatings. It imparts a bright white color to the coating, making it suitable for markings.
The market of marking coatings is driven primarily by the need to mark traffic zones, demarcate road shoulders, footpaths, pavements, speed breakers and zebra crossings on roads. Additionally, marking coatings are used in tarmacs to mark aircraft landing areas. They find numerous uses in manufacturing plants and warehouses. Modern inventory control methods, dictate the use of visual monitoring to re order stocks. This is achieved by marking coatings; they are used to mark re order levels in large urns containing small volume materials such as nuts and bolts, for instance. In manufacturing plants, marking coatings are used to mark safe walking areas for the operators and also to demarcate high radiation areas in laboratories. However, the emission of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) from coatings is a health concern and acts as a restraining factor for the market of marking coatings. There has been research in this field to reduce the level of VOCs. Different grades of coatings with varying levels of VOCs are available commercially. Further research in this field, to eliminate VOCs from coatings, will open new areas of opportunities for...