Smart Functionality: Key raw materials to watch in industrial coatings for 2025-26

Smart Functionality covers formulation trends aimed at adding features to products that go beyond their primary functions — adding multi-colour and soft-touch effects, 3D printing, thermal insulation, improving renovation and maintenance, and adding water, fire, stain, fingerprint, and corrosion resistance.

Functional Black Pigments for solar heat management reflect solar radiation instead of absorbing it like traditional black pigments. By allowing infrared light to pass through or reflect, these pigments create cooler surfaces, enhance energy efficiency, and improve the durability of coatings.