Does Laponite® slow down rate of drying of a coating?
Unlike many organic polymers, Laponite® does not have a mechanism to form hydrogen bonds with water and so does not slow down rate of drying to the same degree as many other thickeners. Laponite® does increase rate of drying when it used as a “set-up” agent to control rheology in ceramic glazes. The very high degree of shear thinning that is developed in systems that contain Laponite® ensure the water in the glaze formulation is absorbed rapidly in a ceramic piece as viscosity of the glaze is reduced by the shear stress created by capillary action that is generated at the surface of the ceramic piece.
