Supremesilicones's Blog

Textile / Fabric Softener

supremesilicones — Mon, 24 May 2010 11:11:09 +0000

Textile / Fabric softener (also called fabric conditioner) is used to prevent static cling and make fabric softer. Fabric softeners work by coating the surface of the cloth fibers with a thin layer of chemicals; these chemicals have lubricant properties and are electrically conductive, thus making the fibers feel smoother and preventing buildup of static electricity. Other functions are improvements of iron glide during ironing, increased resistance to stains, and reduction of wrinkling and pilling.

With fast-paced lives and limited time for clothing care, consumers need high performance features from laundry products. However, the reality of the laundering process can produce less than ideal results: washing strips garments of their original finish and degrades fabric, while reducing color brightness, definition and fabric strength. Wrinkling negatively impacts garment shape and appearance.

Silicones have wide applications in the textile industry, from fiber, yarn and fabric production to final product finishing. Their distinctive chemistry imparts a range of characteristics, including improved softness, dimensional stability, fabric physical properties, wrinkle recovery, and stretch and recovery. Silicones can also be used to provide hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity, static control, lubrication, antimicrobial treatments and anti-slip properties. A variety of silicone technologies have applications in the textile industry.

They include:

• Polydimethylsiloxanes

• Amino- / amido-functional silicones

• Silicone elastomers

• Methyl hydrogen silicones

• Silicone polyethers

• Epoxy-functional silicones

• Epoxy polyether silicones

• Hydroxy-functional silicones

As the softeners themselves are often of hydrophobic nature, they are commonly occurring in the form of an emulsion. In the early formulations, soaps were used as emulsifiers. The emulsions are usually opaque, milky fluids. However there are also micro emulsions where the droplets of the hydrophobic phase are substantially smaller. The advantage of micro emulsions is in the increased ability of the smaller particles to penetrate into the fibers.

Molecular Defoamers – A new age Technology

supremesilicones — Sat, 15 May 2010 05:33:23 +0000

Molecular defoamers are growing field that are finding applications in many industrial processes. The use of conventional surfactants and defoamers in Industries can often create an undesirable side effect, which requires the other to sort out. Molecular defoamers represent a novel class of defoamers that break foam on a molecular level, which is unlike conventional defoamers that utilize macroscopic physical process. This is accomplished by the ability of the molecular defoamers to adsorb at the air-water interface of a foam bubble and, thereby, displace some of the surfactants that stabilize the foam. Based on a fundamental understanding of the effects of basic adsorption parameters, innovative molecular defoamers were developed that provide long term foam control; effectively reduce both surface tension and foam in a variety of emulsion polymers and decrease significantly the level of defects in Industrial applications.

To control the Foam:

Kill it (Defoam)
Avoid it (Antifoam)

Defoamers – Chemicals or formulated products that destroy, or knock down, foam that has already formed. Defoamers, except in relatively large amounts, don’t prevent foam from forming.

Antifoams – Chemicals or formulated products that prevent the formation of foam. When discussing these materials, it is important to notice at what point in the process they are used. There are other factors you should consider as well.

SILICONE DEFOAMERS

A highly effective class of defoamers is obtained by combining dimethylpolysiloxanes with hydrophobic and partially hydrophilic polyethers.

The Silicone technique to defoam:

The silicone active ingredient displace surfactant molecules and thin out the lamellae leading to destable and collapse.
Silica particles are transported by siloxanes onto the foam lamellae has an additional destabilizing effect on the foam.
The Foam bubble bursts and the entrapped air escapes.

Silicone defoamer competitive features:

It gives better efficiency/cost compared to organic antifoams.
Low surface tension
Insoluble in the foaming medium
Good spreading coefficient
They are highly efficient and are therefore often more economical to use than organic defoamers.
They control almost all types of foam encountered in any effluent.
They are chemically inert and therefore resistant to chemical attack.
They are thermo stable.
They make for safe operating conditions.
As they do not produce any undesirable degradation products, they are environmentally compatible.

MOLECULAR DEFOAMERS

Little bit of alterations have proven to provide good surfactant properties (both dynamic and equilibrium surface tension reduction) with low foam tendency, there is still a need for more efficient defoamers that can provide surfactant-like wetting performance to reduce or eliminate the tendency to cause coating defects that are often created by silicone defoamers. One class of defoamers that offers the potential for improved performance are the molecular defoamers. Unlike conventional defoamers, which utilize macroscopic physical process within the coating formulation, molecular defoamers break foam on a molecular level by adsorbing at the Liquid/Gas interface of foam bubbles and, thereby, displacing some of the foam-stabilizing surfactants with surfactants that behave otherwise. The adsorbed molecular defoamer molecules disrupt the foam stabilizing mechanisms that are imparted by the conventional surfactants adsorbed at the bubble Liquid/Gas surface, and thus allow liquid drainage to proceed until the bubble collapses.

CONCLUSIONS

Molecular defoamers represent a new age defoamers that break foam on a molecular level rather than by macroscopic physical process like conventional defoamers. This is accomplished by the ability of the molecular defoamers to adsorb at the Liquid/Gas interface of a foam bubble and, thereby, displace some of the surfactants that stabilize the foam. Based on this fundamental understanding, innovative molecular defoamers were developed foam control long term ability, a combination of low surface tension and low foam in a variety of application with very negligible level. The surface activity (low equilibrium and dynamic surface tension) of these molecules allows them to serve a dual function as wetting agents and defoamers in the systems.

Construction Water Repellents

supremesilicones — Wed, 12 May 2010 04:32:16 +0000

There is a wide difference between the designed service life and actual life of reinforced concrete.

Quite often the building never reaches the stipulated life because of environment effect and ingress of deteriorating agents the corrosion of steel reinforcement is by far the single most common cause of structural damage. This situation is rather remarkable, given that steel reinforcement in concrete is well protected against corrosion due to the highly alkaline environment generated from the hydration of cement and which forms a passive shield for reinforcement.

Water repellent or impregnant treatment of the building may increase its life because it would protect the building and reinforcement from any attack of outside pollutants like carbon dioxide, chloride, sulphate etc.,

What is Waterproofing

The simplest definition of waterproofing is to keep the unwanted water out of the system.

Why is waterproofing required?

All masonry materials are permeable to water. Most permeable being concrete masonry, least permeable being stone, glazed tile etc.,
All masonry materials are held together by mortar which is generally very permeable and can allow leakage regardless of permeability of the masonry units themselves.

What do you achieve by waterproofing?

Protection of reinforcement and thus reduction of corrosion rate in concrete.
Arrest algae, fungus growth in moist environment, reduce efflorescence
Works as barrier to carbon dioxide, chloride or sulphate
Helps heat insulation, prevents soiling of exteriors
Helps to increase the life of paint
Serves as pretreatment of surface before painting or any coating.

Hello world!

supremesilicones — Wed, 12 May 2010 03:23:44 +0000

Supreme Silicones is one of the major Manufacturer and Exporter of Silicone Products. We are successfully marching ahead in various countries across the globe. We have an impressive growth record both in the Domestic as well as in the International markets. We are committed to excellence and providing superior product quality is a goal of Supreme Silicones. We pride ourselves in supplying our customers with the highest quality products, supported by highest quality services.

Supreme Silicones is equipped with the latest technology and keeps updating through indigenous R&D activities. We have manufacturing facilities at Aurangabad as well as at Pune, India. We are an ISO 9001:2000 certified company and D & B Registered Organization, always striving to provide buyers the most premium of the quality available in the market. Throughout our endeavor, we have modified our product offerings, concentrating our efforts on products that deliver the greatest value to customers. This has enabled the group to differentiate its products through customization, resulting in superior performance.