The main uses of hydroxyethyl acrylate are distinguished for the monoester as follows:
Monoester 90: Additives, adhesives, and other low-end products
Monoester 93/95: Emulsions, paints, and other high-end products
Colorless liquid. Soluble in common organic solvents, miscible with water. Copolymers can be used as fiber treatment agents, thermosetting coatings, adhesives with high bonding strength, heat- and oil-resistant rubber (such as acrylic copolymer rubber), paper processing agents, lubricant additives. Copolymers with acrylamide can be used as thickeners, copolymers with vinyl ethers can serve as substitutes for floor wax, and copolymers with divinylbenzene can be used as ion exchange resins.
Chinese name: 2-Hydroxyethyl acrylate
English name: 2-Hydroxyethyl acrylate
Aliases: Hydroxyethyl acrylate; 2-Hydroxyethyl acrylate; β-Hydroxyethyl acrylate
Chemical formula: C5H8O3
Molecular weight: 116.12
CAS Registry Number: 818-61-1
EINECS Registry Number: 212-454-9
Melting point: -60 °C
Boiling point: 210 °C
Density: 1.106 kg/m3
Appearance: Colorless liquid
Flash point: 99 °C
Uses
This product can copolymerize with many monomers such as acrylic acid and its esters, acrylamide, vinyl chloride, and styrene. The resulting products can be used to treat fibers, improving their water resistance, solvent resistance, wrinkle resistance, and waterproofing. It is also used to produce high-performance thermosetting coatings, synthetic rubber, and as a lubricant additive. In adhesives, copolymerization with vinyl monomers can enhance bonding strength. In paper processing, it is used to make acrylic emulsions for coatings, improving water resistance and strength.
For water reducers, our company's hydroxyethyl ester has a high content. Compared with other suppliers, the dosage can be reduced by 8%-10%. After all, hydroxyethyl monoester is divided into 90 and 93 grades. Many suppliers claim 90 but actually provide 87-89, while 93-grade is around 92%. Our 90-grade is above 91%, and 93-grade is fully above 93%. Additionally, there is a discrepancy between the content provided by our manufacturer and the user's own testing, leading 99% of customers to detect 1% higher than our stated content.
This reduction in dosage is based on experiments we conducted with customers. However, different formulations also affect the proportion of dosage reduction. Several large-scale enterprises I follow have significantly reduced their usage: 90-grade can be reduced by 7%, and 93-grade by 11%. Some can achieve reductions of 10% to 15%. Overall, using high-content hydroxyethyl ester is more cost-effective. Many may think 90-grade is cheaper, but in reality, the savings from reduced dosage with 93-grade far outweigh the price difference between 90 and 93.