Application and characteristics of hydroxyethyl cellulose

Generally speaking, hydroxyethyl cellulose is used as a thickener in the architectural coatings and adhesive industries. In fact, hydroxyethyl cellulose has a wide range of uses. Due to some characteristics and functions of hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose has played many functions in different fields. We want to understand hydroxyethyl cellulose in depth, let's start with its characteristics. This will make it easier to understand what hydroxyethyl cellulose is for.

Performance and characteristics of hydroxyethyl cellulose:

Appearance characteristics: Hydroxyethyl cellulose is generally white or milky white, odorless, non-toxic, fluid fibrous powder, easy to absorb moisture, and dissolves into a transparent viscous stable colloid in water.

In film-forming and cohesive properties: the etherification of hydroxyethyl cellulose has a great influence on its characteristics and properties, such as solubility, film-forming ability, cohesive strength and salt resistance. The cellulose ether in hydroxyethyl cellulose has high mechanical strength, flexibility, heat resistance and cold resistance, and has good compatibility with various resins and plasticizers, and can be used to make plastics and films , varnish, adhesive, latex and drug coating materials, etc.

Solubility: Hydroxyethyl cellulose and sodium carboxymethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose are soluble in water at any temperature, and insoluble in organic solvents (with a few exceptions).

In thickening: cellulose ether dissolves in water in the form of colloid, and its viscosity depends on the degree of polymerization of cellulose ether. The solution contains hydrated macromolecules. Due to the entanglement of macromolecules, the flow behavior of solutions is different from that of Newtonian fluids, but exhibits a behavior that changes with changes in shear force. Due to the macromolecular structure of cellulose ether, the viscosity of the solution increases rapidly with the increase of concentration and decreases rapidly with the increase of temperature.

Hydroxyethyl cellulose has a wide range of applications, not only making great contributions to architectural coatings and bonding industrial areas, but also making contributions in other areas. Let's start with the role of architectural coatings, which many insiders will know better, and it is also the most basic understanding of hydroxyethyl cellulose.

In architectural coatings, hydroxyethyl cellulose can be used as a stabilizer, thickener and water-retaining agent for latex coatings. In addition, it can also be used as a dispersant, viscosifier and film-forming agent for colored cement coatings. Adding cellulose ether of appropriate specification and viscosity to latex paint can improve the construction performance of latex paint, prevent splashing, improve storage stability and hiding power, etc. For example, the modified methyl hydroxyethyl cellulose ether has good comprehensive properties, so that it can maintain a leading position in latex paint thickeners. Another example, because cellulose ether has unique thermal gel characteristics and solubility properties, good salt resistance and heat resistance, and has appropriate surface activity, it can be used as a water-retaining agent, suspending agent, emulsifier, film-forming agent, lubricant , adhesives and rheology modifiers.

In the dyeing and printing of fabric carpets, in carpet dyeing, such as Kusters continuous dyeing system, few other thickeners can match the thickening effect and compatibility of hydroxyethyl cellulose. Due to its good thickening effect, easy solubility in various solvents, low impurity content, does not interfere with dye absorption and color diffusion, making printing and dyeing free from insoluble gels (this insoluble gel can cause spots on fabrics) and Homogeneity limits for high technical requirements.

It can be used to prepare high-strength adhesives for ceramics on ceramics.

As one of the cellulose derivatives, hydroxyethyl cellulose, a physiologically harmless and non-polluting water-soluble polymer material such as cellulose ether, has been used in many industries due to its excellent performance, and it will have a wider market. development prospects.