Hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) and ethyl cellulose (EC)

In the building materials industry, there are many choices of additives. Today we will introduce the differences between hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) and ethyl cellulose (EC) for construction.

Hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) for construction:

HEC is a cellulose product commonly used as an additive for building materials. As a non-ionic surfactant, HEC has the functions of thickening, suspending, bonding, floating, film-forming, dispersing, retaining water and providing protective colloids.

Advantages of HEC:

1. HEC is soluble in hot or cold water, and does not precipitate at high temperature or boiling, which makes it have a wide range of solubility and viscosity characteristics, and non-thermal gelation;

2. It is non-ionic and can coexist with other water-soluble polymers, surfactants, and salts in a wide range. It is an excellent colloidal thickener containing high-concentration electrolyte solutions;

3. The water retention capacity is twice that of methyl cellulose, and it has good flow regulation.

4. Compared with the recognized methyl cellulose and hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC), HEC has the worst dispersibility, but the strongest protective colloid ability.

Ethyl cellulose (EC)

EC is a non-ionic cellulose ether that is insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents. It has the following characteristics:

1. Not easy to burn.

2. Good thermal stability and excellent thermoplasticity.

3. No discoloration in sunlight.

4. Good flexibility.

5. Good dielectric properties.

6. Excellent alkali resistance and weak acid resistance.

7. Good anti-aging performance.

8. Good salt resistance, cold resistance and moisture resistance.

9. Stable to chemicals and will not deteriorate during long-term storage.

10. Compatible with many resins and has good compatibility with all plasticizers.

11. Easy to change color in strong alkaline environment and under heat conditions.