How Carbomer Powder is Made

Release time:

2022-04-15


Carbomer is a member of the family of cross-linked acrylic polymers, which are used in many fields such as cosmetics, personal care products, ink printing, adhesives and coatings. For nearly 50 years, many industries have relied on various types of carbomers to increase viscosity, stabilize emulsions and suspend particles, especially in cosmetics. This article will focus on how such a powerful carbomer is synthesized.

Carbomer Powder Carbomer Gel

The main ingredients of Carbomer:

1. Acrylic acid, which is a petrochemical product derived from acrylic acid gas feedstock. The synthesis of acrylic acid usually involves two-stage catalytic oxidation, in which propylene reacts with air to form acrolein as an intermediate, which is then further oxidized to form acrylic acid.

2. Polyallyl ethers, prepared by the base-catalyzed reaction of polyhydroxy functional compounds such as sucrose or pentaerythritol with excess allyl chloride to produce polyallyl ethers substituted to varying degrees.

Carbomer synthesis method:

1. Acrylic acid and a small amount of TAPE and potassium carbonate (K 2 CO 3 ) were initially dissolved in ethyl acetate/cyclohexane co-solvent;

2. K 2 CO 3 is added to neutralize a small fraction (usually ≤ 3%) of acrylic groups, possibly helping to promote the precipitation of the resulting polymer in the co-solvent system;

3. The mixture is heated to 50°C under nitrogen atmosphere, and a peroxygen initiator such as bis(2-ethylhexyl) peroxydicarbonate (predissolved in a cosolvent) is slowly added to the reaction vessel within 6 hours ;

4. With the progress of the polymerization reaction, the insoluble carbomer product is precipitated from the solvent, and a slurry of carbomer particles in the solvent is formed;

5. After the reaction is completed, the carbomer is separated from the slurry, and the polymer solid is dried to obtain the carbomer product in powder form.

Hubei Xindesheng Material Technology Co., Ltd. is a professional manufacturer of carbomer. At present, there are many types of carbomers produced. The product performance is stable and the use effect is good. If you need to buy, please feel free to inquire and buy!