Product Type:
Rheology Modifiers
Applications:
Adhesives & Sealants, Ceramics, Coatings, Environmental, Specialities
Acti-Gel® is an inorganic thickener presenting significant benefits within water based coatings, ceramic glazes and agricultural products. Acti-Gel® (Magnesium Aluminium Silicate) is engineered to offer excellent rheology modification, anti-settling and thixotropic thickening solutions.
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Key Properties:
- Eliminates sedimentation
- Decreases synerese
- Prevents settlement
- Excellent stability
Acti-Gel® Details:
Acti-Gel® 208 is a highly purified, Magnesium Aluminium Silicate product with unique properties. The material emanates from Attapulgite Clay, which when processed transform into homogenous rod-shaped particles, with pseudo-nano dimensions.
The Process
Stability at rest in thixotropic or pseudo plastic liquids is often the result of a three-dimensional network of tiny particles at rest. The homogeneous shape of the Acti-Gel® 208 particles allows very fast formation of such a network in water-based products, preventing settlement and water floatation highly efficient. Upon shear (spraying, pumping, tooling, brushing or pouring) this network is broken down completely. This results in a very low viscosity under shear. As soon as the water-based product is at rest the network is formed again very fast – in some cases in less than 0.2 seconds! This results in the reconstruction of a high viscosity (stabilisation, preventing sagging) after application.
The Result
Water-based liquids, slurries and suspensions with ions and/or solids (with charge) can become highly pseudo plastic by addition of 0,01-3% (w/w) of Acti-Gel® 208. Water-based products show excellent workability, spray-ability, self-levelling properties, green strength and self-compacting properties since the viscosity is very low by the shear during application. The viscosity under shear is lower than with cellulose ethers. Once applied, viscosity will recover by absence of shear, resulting in unmatched stability (no bleeding, no segregation, high layer thickness, no syneresis, and no colour float).
The dosing rate of Acti-Gel 208® depends on the amount of ions and/or solids with charge in your water based product. The level needed will be lower at high concentrations of ionic charges. The time needed for the viscosity to recover after applying shear also depends on this concentration of ionic charges. Recovery will be faster at higher concentrations of charge. It has also been found to act as a reinforcing filler in several applications.