Thixotropic agent has a wide range of applications

Thixotropic agent has a wide range of applications, micronized amide wax rheology modifier is the main product type

Thixotropic agent is a kind of additive with thixotropy. Thixotropy refers to the reversible sol phenomenon that occurs in liquids under the action of mechanical forces such as vibration and compression, and is commonly found in polymer suspensions. Thixotropic agent utilizes the thixotropic effect, which can increase the viscosity of the liquid in static state, and decrease the viscosity when it is subjected to external force. As an important additive, it is widely used in the production of paints, coatings, dyes, inks, adhesives, medicine, etc. field.

The thixotropic agent is added to the adhesive. When stirring and coating, the glue becomes thinner, which is easy for bonding operation. When standing, the glue thickens and does not flow; , The viscosity of the coating decreases and the fluidity increases, which is beneficial to the smearing operation. When the construction is completed, the viscosity of the coating increases, which can prevent sagging and sedimentation. The quality of the thixotropic agent directly affects the viscosity, construction performance and storage stability of the liquid.

According to the “2021 Thixotropic Agent Industry Benchmarking Enterprise Research” released by Xinsijie Industrial Research Center, the common thixotropic agents are mainly four categories of organic bentonite, hydrogenated castor oil, fumed silica and polyamide wax. Among them, hydrogenated castor oil is mainly used in the field of pharmaceutical manufacturing, which can play the role of thickening and slow-release, and can be used to manufacture solid or semi-solid pharmaceuticals. Organobentonite can be used in liquid resins, oils, and organic solvents, and can play a role in thickening and suspending stability. It is mainly used in coatings, paints, inks and other industries. Fumed silica can be used in adhesives, paints and other industries to thicken, prevent precipitation, and prevent sagging.

Polyamide wax has excellent thixotropic properties, good anti-sagging and anti-settling effects, and has good heat resistance and storage stability. With the continuous improvement of technical processes in downstream coatings, paints, adhesives, inks and other industries, organic bentonite and fumed silica are gradually unable to meet the demand. Polyamide wax has become the mainstream thixotropic agent product type due to the advantages of excellent comprehensive performance, small addition amount and good effect.

In the early days, my country did not have the production capacity of polyamide wax, and the market was mainly occupied by foreign companies. With the continuous expansion of the scale of my country’s paint, coatings and other industries, the continuous improvement of production technology, the increasing market demand for high-performance thixotropic agents, and the increasing importance of polyamide waxes, the number of companies entering this field in my country has begun to increase. At this stage, my country has become one of the main producers of polyamide wax.

According to industry analysts from Xinsijie, the technical barriers of hydrogenated castor oil and organic bentonite are relatively low, and the number of global production enterprises is large. Fumed silica production enterprises mainly include Germany Degussa, Germany WACKER, US Cabot, Japan Tokuyama, etc.; polyamide wax manufacturers mainly include US Hemings, Japan Nanben Chemical, and China’s Shanghai Core Chemical, Taiyuan Meitexiang, Guangde Zhenhua New Materials Department, etc.