What are organoclays?

What are organoclays?

Organic bentonite’s main raw material is montmorillonite. After organic modification, it transforms into a gelling agent suitable for use in paints, lubricating greases (with a dropping point higher than 250°C), inks, and drilling fluids. This modification involves inserting organic cationic surfactants through ion exchange, which can be tailored to meet specific needs by selecting different organic cations. This process enhances the properties of organic bentonite for various applications, resulting in a relative density of 1.7-1.8 g/cm³.

1. The modified organic bentonite undergoes cation exchange, introducing organic groups onto the surface of water-based organic bentonite, ultimately turning it into an organic material. The applications of organic bentonite benefit from its unique physical and chemical properties, such as its ability to form gels in various organic solvents, oils, and liquid resins. It boasts excellent thickening, thixotropy, suspension stability, high-temperature stability, lubricity, film-forming ability, water resistance, and chemical stability.

We detail the definition, properties, physical characteristics, chemical properties, and applications of organic bentonite as follows:

Organic bentonite is primarily used in drilling muds for oil and gas exploration, where it serves as a suspending agent to stabilize the wellbore, carry drill cuttings, and cool and lubricate the drill bit. It is an inorganic mineral/organic ammonium composite, utilizing the layered structure of montmorillonite in bentonite, which can swell and disperse into colloidal particles in water or organic solvents. Beyond drilling, organic bentonite functions as an adsorbent, catalyst carrier, thixotropic agent, and thickening rheological additive.

What are organoclays?

Applications of Organic Bentonite:

1. Coating Industry: In the coating industry, organic bentonite is an essential anti-settling and thickening agent, used in metal anti-corrosion coatings and transportation coatings.
2. Drilling: Organic bentonite serves as a thickener and stabilizer for organic drilling mud, enhancing mud suspension, rheology, salt resistance, and thermal stability.
3. Ink Production: Organic bentonite is suitable for various inks, including newspaper and gravure inks, improving their thixotropy, suspension, and stability, preventing sagging and cratering, and increasing film thickness.
4. High-Temperature Grease: When preparing high-temperature and normal-temperature greases, organic bentonite acts as a thickener, endowing the grease with high-temperature resistance and strong thickening properties.
5. Cosmetics: In cosmetics like lotions and nail polish, organic bentonite increases viscosity, enhances cleaning ability, and helps maintain lipid content in hair.

What are organoclays?

Organo clay (modified bentonite), designed especially for use  in solvent based system. It can be used widely in solvents from low polarity to medium-high polarity.                                              Properties

Composition                      Organic derivative of a montmorillonite clay

                 Appearance                       Fine powder, light yellow

                 Moisture content (105℃,2hr)         ≤3.5%

                 Loss on ignition (1000℃)            28%-30%

                 Bulk density                       0.53g/cm3

                 Fineness (<74μm, %)               ≥98%

Advantages

• High gelling efficiency
• Light color gel
• Produce reproducible thixotropic consistency over a wide temperature range
• Imparts particle suspension, preventing hard settling of pigment and fillers.
• Exerts strong film reinforcing action in organic binder systems.

Application

CP-34 is used in the following applications:

• Marine paint, Industrial paint, heavy-duty, anticorrosion paint such as bituminous coatings, polyester paints, Alkyd paints.
• Sealant
• Inks
• Grease
• Unsaturated polyester putty

Using

CP-34 disperses under high shear and requires a polar activator for best efficiency. Heat is not required to obtain good dispersion. Addition levels are typically in 0.2%~2.0%. Polar activator (95% Ethanol or 95% Methanol) is needed. Normally addition level of polar activator is recommended to be 40%~50% of CP-34 in weight. If in xylene system, addition level of polar activator is about 30%-40% of CP-34 in weight.

Pre-gel is made as below procedure.

1. Charge solvent to mill
2. Slowly add CP-34(6-10% by weight of total pregel) to mill under agitation.
3. Mix at high speed for 5 minutes.
4. Add polar activator.
5. Mix at high speed for 5 minutes.

Safety

All safety information is provided in the Material Safety Data Sheets for Zhejiang Camp-Shinning New Material Co.,Ltd..