All matter in production and in life has more or less static charge. The accumulation of static charge will affect the performance of products including electrostatic adsorption, dust absorption, and even cause combustion and explosion. Therefore, it is necessary to eliminate the accumulation of static electricity. Using antistatic agent is a good choice. Antistatic agent can increase the surface resistivity of the material and reduce the accumulation of static electricity.
Types of Antistatic Agent
According to whether the hydrophilic groups in antistatic molecules can be ionized, they can be divided into ionic and non-ionic types. Ionic type antistatic agents can be further divided into cationic type and anionic type:
Cationic antistatic agent: Most cationic antistatic agents are quaternary ammonium salts, phosphorus salts and phosphorus salts. This kind of antistatic agent is widely used in plastics. It has good antistatic performance and high affinity to polar polymer. However, it cannot be used for food contact because of its toxic and irritating effect on the skin.
Anionic antistatic agent: Alkyl sulfonic acid, phosphoric acid or dithiocarbamic acid are commonly alkali metal salts. They're usually more skin-friendly, do not affect plastic coloring, therefore, they are mostly used in polymer materials in pesticide and cosmetic processing, household detergent and other fields.
Non-ionic antistatic agent: Most of these antistatic agents are alkylamines of ethoxylated adipose groups. They are less resistant to static electricity than ionic antistatic agents, but they have good weather resistance and high thermal stability. They can prevent plastic aging and have good static resistance at low temperature and low humidity. Therefore, they are widely used in polyethylene, polypropylene, ABS and other styrene polymers.
Figure 1. Cationic antistatic agent (Plastic Additives)
Figure 2. Anionic antistatic agent (Synthetic fiber surface)
According to the different ways of use, the antistatic agents can be divided into two types: outer coating type and inner mixing type:
Outer coating type: Coating antistatic agent is a kind of antistatic agent used on the surface of polymer materials. They are easy to use and are suitable for a variety of polymers. They are usually used for temporary or short-term static treatment.
Inner mixing type: Inner mixed type antistatic agent is a kind of antistatic agent added to the resin during the processing of the producing. The processing of this kind of antistatic agent is more troublesome than its external use, but it has long-term electrostatic protection, and can change the surface smoothness of the material in a certain degree. Most of these are non-ionic antistatic agents.
Alfa Chemistry is committed to providing different types of antistatic agents. We have excellent scientists and advanced production equipment, and we guarantee the quality and performance of our products. Please contact us to discuss your requirements in detail.
