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southern clay products, inc. | A rockwood specialties, inc. company
associative thickeners for aqueous systems
OPTIFLO
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OPTIFLO Polymeric Thickeners
HEAT, HEUR, and HASE
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For the better hal o the last century,
Southern Clay Products, Inc. has strived
to achieve higher levels o customer
satisaction, broaden our product line and
reach more areas internationally. We take
pride in oering the highest quality
specialty additives available and willcontinue to do so into the uture.
It was in the late 1940s that Southern Clay Products, Inc.
was ounded in Gonzales, Texas. In the early days o our
company we were comprised o miners and suppliers o
nely milled products rom local reserves. Over the years,
we were able to transorm rom a mining company into
a specialty chemical company and were able to achieve
global recognition in all major world areas.
We later became part o the Rockwood Specialties Inc.
team located in Princeton, New Jersey in 2000. Their
commercial and nancial support enabled Southern Clay
Products, Inc. to strengthen our position internationally.
With the December 2005 acquisition o Sd-Chemies
rheological additives and carbonless developers businesses
by Rockwood Holdings, Inc, which includes both Southern
Clay Products, Inc. and Rockwood Additives Limited, we arenow positioned to reach or the next level o success and
gain a stronger market hold in the years to come.
Both Southern Clay Products, Inc. and Sd-Chemie had
managed to reach major world markets, achieved high
levels o customer satisaction, continued research in a vast
number o technological areas, and developed and intro-
duced numerous new products as the companies strived to
be the best in their respective markets.
With both companies being incorporated into one, the
new Southern Clay Products, Inc. will not only continue toperorm as we have in the past, but we will now do so with
greater eciency. We will do this by oering our custom-
ers a wider range o products, continuing to expand our
position in the international market and by improving both
our technology and production capabilities.
S O U T H E R N C L A Y P R O D U C T S , I N C : A N I N T R O D U C T I O N
GONZALES
LOUISVILLE
WIDNESMOOSBURG
SINGAPORE
AUSTIN
EXECUTIVE OFFICES/DIVISIONAL HEADQUARTERS SALES & OPERATIONS SALES
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O P T I F L O A D D I T I v E P R O P E R T I E S & C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S
OPTIFLO HEAT (Hydrophobic Ethoxylated
Aminoplast Technology) Polymers
Nonionic and emulsier-ree
Low odor
Water clear
Products to meet all shear ranges
Creates excellent brush drag
Reduce spatter
Do not aect acceptance o tint pastes
Pseudoplastic/thixotropic behavior to prevent settling
OPTIFLO HEUR (Hydrophobic Ethoxylated
Urethane) Polymers
Nonionic and emulsier-ree
Typical HEUR odor and clarity
Designed or high shear viscosity range or EVA, Vinyl
Acrylic, and low responsive systems
Suitable or exterior coatings
OPTIFLO HASE (Hydrophobic Alkali Soluble
Emulsion) Polymers
Low viscosity emulsionTypical HASE odor
Exceptional Stormer and low shear development
Excellent thickener or interior paints
The OPTIFLO amily o thickeners has been designed to oer ormulators broad
ormulating latitude in paints, coatings, inks, sealants, caulks, and adhesives while
solving many o the problems oten encountered with conventional urethane based
thickeners. OPTIFLO products impart excellent fow and leveling, high lm build,
excellent stability, and unsurpassed resistance to blister, spatter, and syneresis when
used with a broad variety o latex binders including large and small particle size acryl-
ics, vinyl acrylics, styrene acrylics, and ethylene vinyl acetates (EVAs). While the use
o OPTIFLO thickeners can eliminate or reduce the need or cellulosics, OPTIFLO
products are more compatible with cellulosics than urethane based thickeners leading
to reduced paint syneresis and curtain sagging.
Increase resistance (to water, alcohol, liquid cleansers, etc.)
Improve barrier eects
Improve viscosity stability with universal tinting pastes
Increase stability with respect to pH fuctuations
No syneresis
Improve storage stability
No reduction in gloss
Haze-ree
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Structure o OPTIFLO Associative Thickeners
OPTIFLO is a water-soluble, associative polymer thickener,
which consists primarily o water-soluble polyethylene
glycol onto which a ew non-water soluble (hydrophobic)
molecules have been added via a patented aminoplast link-
age. In aqueous solutions, these hydrophobic molecules
either group together to orm micelles or associate with
other hydrophobic components, such as latex particles.
The long polyethylene oxide backbone remains dissolved
in water, where it links micelles and latex particles into a
network, which raises viscosity. The greater number o
nely divided latex particles present that can associate
with the hydrophobic modules, the greater the thickening
eect. Hence the term associative thickening.
OPTIFLO HV80 consists o a HASE or acrylic backbone
which also thickens by means o association, but requires
neutralization to solubilize the acrylic backbone.
How It Works
When the interactions described above orm a three-
dimensional network, associative thickeners greatly
increase viscosity, especially under high-shear conditions.
This strengthens the internal structure and thickens the
materials to a honey-like consistency. The number and
chemical nature o the hydrophobic groups in the thickener
molecule determine whether the increase in viscosity will
produce Newtonian or thixotropic / pseudoplastic behavior.
Unlike systems utilizing laminar silicates to produce
thixotropic behavior, systems thickened with OPTIFLO
additives have no yield point, which will ensure superior
paint fow and leveling ollowing application.
M E C H A N I S M S O F A C T I O N
Shear Rate >
Viscosity
>
Brush drag = Reduced spattering
OPTIFLO Additives
Laminar Silicates
Flow curve o systems thickened with OPTIFLO additives
Associative thickening mechanism
- Hydrophobic Molecules - Latex Particles
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OPTIFLO Additives in Formulations
Standard Products Rheology Actives [%] Dissolved In Comments
OPTIFLO L100 Highly Newtonian 20 Water HEAT / No VOCs
OPTIFLO M2600 Slightly Pseudoplastic 25 Water / DB* HEUR
OPTIFLO H370 Pseudoplastic / Thixotropic 20 Water / DB* HEAT
OPTIFLO H400 Pseudoplastic / Thixotropic 20 Water / DB* HEAT
OPTIFLO H500 Pseudoplastic / Thixotropic 17.5 Water / DB* HEAT
OPTIFLO H600 Pseudoplastic / Thixotropic 17.5 Water / DB* HEAT
OPTIFLO HV80 Highly Pseudoplastic 30 Water HASE
Specialties
OPTIFLO M2600-VF Pseudoplastic / Thixotropic 20 Water HEUR / No VOCs
OPTIFLO H370-VF Pseudoplastic / Thixotropic 17.5 Water HEAT / No VOCs
OPTIFLO TVS-VF Pseudoplastic / Thixotropic 12.5 Water HEAT / No VOCs
OPTIFLO TVS Pseudoplastic / Thixotropic 17.5 Water / DB* HEAT
*DB - diethylene glycol mono-butyl ether
Shear rate >
Viscosity>
OPTIFLO HOPTIFLO MOPTIFLO LUnthickened resin
Flow Curve
OPTIFLO Additives in FormulationsThree basic types o OPTIFLO products are available:OPTIFLO L, M and H
The thickening behavior o OPTIFLO L products islargely Newtonian.
The thickening behavior o OPTIFLO M products isslightly psuedoplastic.
OPTIFLO H products, on the other hand, are verypseudoplastic.
Regardless o grade, all OPTIFLO products have excellentthickening properties, particularly at high shear rates.
O P T I F L O A D D I T I v E S I N F O R M U L A T I O N S
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O P T I F L O A D D I T I v E A P P L I C A T I O N g U I D E
APPLICATION
GUIDE
OPTIFLO ADDITIVES
Standard Products Specialty Products
= Recommended= Suitable
L100 M2600 H370 H400 H500 H600 M2600-VF H370-VF TVS-VF TVS
Industrial paints
Wood lacquers a. varnishes
Furniture nishes
UV-curing parquetvarnishes
Paints or artists
Latex paints
Pigment pastes
Metallic nishes
Printing inksLatex plasters
Colored sandstone plasters
Special applications
Adhesives
Textile auxiliaries
Textile dyes
Window paints
Viscous Properties
Use OPTIFLO additives whenever you need eective
brush drag. OPTIFLO additives increase viscosity, which
primarily serves to improve spatter resistance. Because
OPTIFLO additives have no yield point, they generate
superior leveling characteristics in paints.
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OPTIFLO HV80 in a Satin VAE ormulation with 3% universal colorant showing an elimination ocolor foat vs a competitive HASE thickener.
Phthalo Blue Red Iron Oxide Lamp Black
Applying paints using a brush or roller places special
demands on the rheology o coating systems, particularly
with water-based paints.
This is especially true or decorative applications, where
products are applied primarily by brush or roller. Unlike
other methods, such as spraying, pouring or dipping, this
type o manual application requires paint to have certain
unique rheological properties. The reduction o viscosity
under shear needs to be infuenced and kept within certain
limits. Otherwise, the paint will lack the inner tenacity at
high-shear conditions which will result in extremely thin
coatings. Consequently, the paint coverage will be either
poor or insucient, potentially requiring numerous coats.
Due to the chemical structure, rheological additives
such as laminar silicates have very little aect on this
phenomenon. As a result, they are only eective under
low-shear conditions, which consequently lend to the
paints thixotropic and/or pseudoplastic properties.
The result is a necessity or a dierent approach to
elevate the viscosity at high shear rates (typically in the
range o 10,000 s-1).
Associative thickeners designed to achieve brush drag in
aqueous mediums have the ability to orm bonds (associ-
ations) with binder particles, pigments, llers or even with
themselves. The network that results rom these links is
stable even in high shear conditions, thereby generating
eective brush drag.
Forming a homogenous network within the paint and
within the paint lm ater application will quickly make the
dried coating water resistant.
U S E I N D E C O R A T I v E S Y S T E M S
OPTIFLO Additives In Decorative Systems
Competitive HASE OPTIFLO HV80 Competitive HASE OPTIFLO HV80 Competitive HASE OPTIFLO HV80
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The inormation within this reerence guide is intended to provide general nonspecic inormation about certain products produced and/or sold by Southern Clay Products,Inc. Southern Clay Products, Inc. does not, expressly or through implication, represent or warrant that the inormation within this reerence guide is applicable or yourintended use. Your reliance on the inormation within this reerence guide is solely at your own risk and liability. Please contact authorized representatives o Southern ClayProducts, Inc. or specic inormation concerning your proposed use o products provided and/or sold by Southern Clay Products, Inc. Trademark indicia set orth hereinapplies with respect to United States trademark rights. In other countries dierent trademark rights may apply. Without limiting the oregoing statements regarding trademarkrights, Perchem, Laponite, and Easigel are registered trademarks o Rockwood Specialties Inc. within the United Kingdom.
Copyright 2006 Southern Clay Products, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Associative thickeners are oten sensitive to the addition o
suractants, dispersing agents, wetting agents, and solvents.
These additives reduce the associative interactions between
the latex particles and the hydrophobic modules o the
thickener, thereby reducing viscosity. This problem primar-
ily arises when adding pigment concentrates which contain
large amounts o interering agents, such as dispersants and
suractants. Our OPTIFLO TVS (Tinting Viscosity Stabilizer)
thickener has been specially designed to address this issue.
Due to the unique opportunities aorded by aminoplast tech-
nology, OPTIFLO TVS contains an unusually high number
o strongly hydrophobic modules, making it less sensitive to
these intererents. OPTIFLO TVS is especially suitable or
base paints tinted with pigment concentrates.
Conclusions
Over the years the Paint and Coatings Industry has
adopted environmental regulations to lower VOC (Volatile
Organic Content) emissions in architectural coatings. As
a result, paint manuacturers are moving rom traditional
oil-based paint systems to water-based paint systems.
The challenge or the paint manuacturer is to main-
tain perormance properties such as brushability, stain
removal and durability. The OPTIFLO thickener system(invented and patented by Southern Clay Products, Inc.)
introduced in 1997 was designed or the paint manuac-
turer or use in latex or water-based paints to provide a
smooth creamy paint consistency with buttery like brush
eel while preventing roller spatter (splashing that can
occur rom the paint roller). In addition, a novel patented
technology was recently developed which will allow all
OPTIFLO products to be supplied VOC ree, this technol-
ogy known as OPTIFLO VF Technology will also urther
enhance the quality o the paint in areas such as coloruniormity and paint consistency (less separation).
OPTIFLO ADDITIVES or Tinting Paste Systems
U S E I N P A S T E S Y S T E M S
OPTIFLO TVS in a semi-gloss latex paint. Very little loss inviscosity is observed when tinting with a universal pigment paste
(phthalocyanine blue, iron oxide red, lamp-black).
OPTIFLO TVS0%
-10%
-20%
StandardThickener
-2
-12
0
-16
-22
-15
OPTIFLO TVS (TVS = Tinting Viscosity Stabilizer)
Reduction in viscosity when suractants are added tosystems using a standard thickener.
- Hydrophobic Molecules - Latex Particles - SuractantsReduction in viscosity [%]
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NAFTA
Southern Clay Products, Inc.
1212 Church Street
Gonzales, TX 78629
Telephone: 1-800-324-2891
Direct Line: 1-830-672-2891
Fax: 1-830-672-1903
1600 W. Hill Street
Louisville, KY 40210
Telephone: 1-800-468-7210
Direct Line: 1-502-772-4403Fax: 1-502-772-4440
Executive Ofces
5508 Highway 290 West
Suite 206
Austin, TX 78735
www.scprod.com
EUROPE
Rockwood Additives Limited
Mooreld Road
Widnes, Cheshire
UK WA8 3AA
Telephone: 44 (0) 151 495 2222
Fax: 44 (0) 151 420 4401
www.rockwoodadditives.com
Rockwood Clay Additives GmbH
Stadtwaldstr. 44,
85368 Moosburg, Germany
Telephone: 49 (0) 8761 72 150-0
Fax: 49 (0) 8761 72 150-334
ASIA
Rockwood Specialties (Singapore) Pte. Limited
171 Chin Swee Road
#10-08 San Centre
Singapore 169877
Telephone: 65 6532 0676
Fax: 65 532 0502
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