Can I thicken alcohols or glycols, or other polyols using Laponite®?
It’s possible to thicken up to 40% solutions in water of these chemicals with Laponite®. Many formulations, such as speciality surface coatings, where Laponite® is commonly used contain up to 10% of glycol. It is important that Laponite® is pre-dispersed in water, before a high concentration of glycol or alcohol is added. However, at lower glycol addition levels, say <5% in water, Laponite® powder will disperse into this more dilute solution. Glycols have an important role in helping Laponite® be more easily used in low free water (water-lean) formulations. If glycol is added with Laponite® RD at a ratio of 1:1 in pre-mixes in water at 3% to 4% Laponite® content, the glycol has a temporary dispersant effect on the Laponite®. This allows the pre-mix to produced at lower viscosity and so can make it much easier to combine with other formulation ingredients such as dispersion resins. 9. What are the advantages of using Laponite® as thickener in my formulation compared with using gums or p
