The use of Zinc flakes as active ingredient in corrosion protection coatings is established since the 1970s. Motivation at this time was to maximize the anti-corrosion performance of coatings at very thin film thicknesses. First target applications were screws, clips and chassis components for the automotive industry.

The morphology of Zinc flake pigments allows to combine two functionalities: Zinc flakes act as barrier, additionally these pigments provide galvanic protection, thus leading to superior anticorrosion performances.

Zinc flakes can also be used in other applications, such as heavy corrosion protection for marine coating, bridges, etc. Due to the platelet structure, the zinc particles overlap or touch each other in the dry coating film, thus forming percolation paths. A galvanic effect is achieved already at a PVC of 12%, what allows a huge reduction of the active metal content in the formulation in comparison to traditional Zinc dust systems.

The use of Zinc flakes enables a valuable contribution to conserving resources for the scarce raw material zinc. Over all, the lower material consumption of metallic zinc which is enabled by the use of Zinc flakes, can trigger a valuable contribution in terms of cost-effectiveness and sustainability.