Alginate is a seaweed derivative used as thickener in the food and biomedical industries. It is mainly known for its gelling ability with divalent cations and can exist as salt of the alginic acid with different monovalent cations. In this study, a multifunctional approach was used to evaluate the influence of different types of alginate salts on the microstructural properties of a water-based architectural coating. A basic formulation containing cellulose as thickener was considered as benchmark; three different salts of alginic acid, specifically sodium, potassium and ammonium, were investigated as alternative thickeners. The performance of alginate and the role of the counterion were evaluated through rheological, application and tensile tests.

Strain sweep test was used to evaluate the paints viscoelastic nature; in particular, it is useful to investigate the storage stability. The evaluation of viscosity curves and Three Interval Thixotropy Test, 3ITT, predicted the application phase and the possible occurrence of surface defects. In addition, the coatings behavior was practically verified through the analysis of the brush application process on gypsum boards. Tensile properties of dried films were measured as well to evaluate the counterion effect in the solid state.

The results showed that alginate counterions slightly influence the properties of the formulations during the storage. On the other hand, a greater influence is evidenced from 3ITT results, which foresee their application. Finally, the dried samples showed different tensile properties mainly depending on the concentration of the alginates rather than their type.

海藻酸盐是一种海藻衍生物，在食品和生物医学工业中用作增稠剂。它主要以其与二价阳离子的胶凝能力而著称，并且可以以海藻酸与不同一价阳离子的盐形式存在。在这项研究中，使用多功能方法来评估不同类型的海藻酸盐对水性建筑涂料微观结构特性的影响。将含有纤维素作为增稠剂的基本配方视为基准；研究了三种不同的海藻酸盐，特别是钠盐、钾盐和铵盐，作为替代增稠剂。通过流变学、应用和拉伸试验评估藻酸盐的性能和反离子的作用。

应变扫描试验用于评价涂料的粘弹性；特别是，研究储存稳定性是有用的。粘度曲线的评估和三间隔触变性测试，3ITT，预测了应用阶段和可能发生的表面缺陷。此外，通过对石膏板上刷涂过程的分析，实际验证了涂层行为。还测量了干膜的拉伸性能以评价固态中的反离子效应。

结果表明，藻酸盐抗衡离子在储存期间略微影响制剂的性质。另一方面，3ITT 结果证明了更大的影响，它预见了它们的应用。最后，干燥的样品显示出不同的拉伸性能，主要取决于藻酸盐的浓度而不是它们的类型。