Low foaming and highly effective wetting agent

In the fields of coatings, inks, and industrial surface treatment, wetting agents are key additives whose performance directly affects the adhesion, leveling, and final application effect of coatings. SILCO ® CT-2150, as a low foaming and highly effective wetting agent, has shown significant advantages in replacing traditional fluorinated surfactants and solving difficult substrate wetting problems due to its unique molecular structure and excellent physicochemical properties. This article will provide a detailed analysis of the product from the aspects of product features, technological advantages, application areas, and usage recommendations.

1、 Core Features

Low foaming and highly effective wetting agentThe core value of CT-2150 lies in the balance between "strong wetting" and "low foaming properties". Traditional wetting agents often face the technical contradiction of "positive correlation between wettability and foam property". By optimizing the molecular design, CT-2150 has achieved the following breakthroughs:

Outstanding low foam performance: as a silicon substrate wetting agent, its molecular structure introduces a special hydrophobic chain segment, which effectively inhibits the foam generated by the surfactant due to mechanical action (such as stirring and spraying) in the solution. The experimental data shows that the amount of foam is significantly lower than that of traditional fluoride surfactants at the same dosage (for example, when 0.1% dosage is added, the volume of foam is about 40% lower than that of fluoride), which solves the defoaming problem in the high shear process.

Ultra low surface tension: The dynamic surface tension can be reduced to 20-21 dynes/cm, much lower than the surface tension of water (72 dynes/cm). This characteristic allows it to quickly penetrate the substrate surface, overcoming the hydrophobicity or low surface energy characteristics of the substrate (such as plastics, metal oxide layers, coating aging layers, etc.), achieving 360 degree wetting.

Broad spectrum applicability: It is not only suitable for conventional substrates, but also can achieve surface wetting on "picky substrates" (such as high hydrophobic plastics, low-energy surface coatings), avoiding defects such as shrinkage pores and edges.

2、 Technical advantages

Low foaming and highly effective wetting agentAn environmentally friendly alternative to fluorinated surfactants: Although fluorinated surfactants have excellent wetting properties, they pose environmental risks such as bioaccumulation and difficulty in degradation. CT-2150, as a silicon-based wetting agent, combines the efficient wetting properties of fluorine with the environmental friendliness of silicon, in line with the current trend of "greening" in the coatings industry.

Rapid wetting and strong permeability: The balanced design of hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups in its molecular structure enables it to have a high diffusion rate in solution. Experiments have shown that the addition of CT-2150 coating system can shorten the wetting time by more than 30% compared to traditional wetting agents, especially suitable for processes such as high-speed spraying and roll coating that require high wetting speed.

Excellent recoating performance: In multi-layer coating systems, CT-2150 does not cause a decrease in interlayer adhesion due to residue, but instead promotes molecular level bonding between subsequent coatings and the bottom layer by reducing surface tension, solving the pain point of poor recoating performance of traditional wetting agents.

3、 Application Fields

SILCO ® The application scenarios of CT-2150 mainly focus on areas with strict requirements for wetting and low foaming properties, including:

Industrial coatings: such as automotive parts, metal anti-corrosion paint, plastic parts coating, etc., need to solve the wetting problem of metal oxide layer and plastic substrate (such as PP, PE);

Wood coatings: CT-2150 can quickly penetrate into the micropores of wood due to its natural texture and uneven distribution of oil and fat, avoiding defects such as "oil shrinkage" and "exposure of the substrate", and improving the fullness of the coating;

Other fields such as inks, adhesives, cleaning agents, etc. require systems that achieve efficient wetting under low foaming conditions.

4、 Usage suggestions

Recommended dosage: 0.5% -2% (based on the total mass of the coating), which needs to be adjusted according to the substrate type, system viscosity, and construction process. For example, high hydrophobicity substrates (such as PP plastic) can be appropriately increased to 2%, while conventional metal substrates can meet the demand at 1%.

Adding method: It is recommended to add in the later stage of coating production (such as paint mixing stage) to avoid introducing too much foam during high-speed dispersion. If foam already exists in the system, it can be used together with defoamer, but pay attention to their compatibility.

Caution: Avoid coexisting with strong acids, strong bases, or oxidizing substances. Store in a sealed and moisture-proof environment, and the shelf life is usually 12 months.

V. Conclusion

Low foaming and highly effective wetting agentCT-2150, with its core competitiveness of "low foaming, strong wetting, and broad-spectrum applicability," provides a performance and environmentally friendly solution for the coatings and surface treatment industry. Its performance in replacing fluorinated surfactants and solving the problem of difficult substrate wetting not only improves the quality of coatings, but also promotes the development of the industry towards green and efficient direction. In the future, with the tightening of environmental regulations and the upgrading of coating processes, the application prospects of such high-performance wetting agents will be even broader.