What industries and processes are Emulsifier A-103, Oleic Acid Polyoxyethylene Ester mainly used in?

Emulsifier A-103 (Oleic Acid Polyoxyethylene Ester) is widely used in six major industries: cosmetics, textiles, metalworking, pesticides, industrial cleaning, and leather, primarily serving as an efficient nonionic emulsifier, dispersant, and lubricant.

Detailed Description

Emulsifier A-103 is a nonionic surfactant of the oleic acid polyoxyethylene ester type, with CAS No. 9004-96-0, an HLB value of approximately 11.5, easily soluble in water, appearing as a light yellow liquid to paste. Its molecular structure combines a hydrophilic polyoxyethylene chain with a lipophilic oleate group, significantly reducing interfacial tension at low addition levels, rapidly forming stable, fine oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions, while also offering excellent wetting, dispersing, and chemical stability, maintaining activity in weak acid, weak base, and hard water environments.

Thanks to its broad-spectrum emulsifying capability and low-foaming properties, A-103 can effectively emulsify various mineral oils, animal and vegetable oils, and organic solvents, preventing oil-water separation and improving the suspension state of solid particles. Its versatility allows a single raw material to play multiple roles in formulations such as emulsifying, solubilizing, and lubricating, simplifying processes and reducing costs, thus becoming a key auxiliary in many industrial fields.

Core Application Industries and Processes

According to the Guoli Chemical product database, the specific applications of Emulsifier A-103 are as follows:

• Cosmetics and Personal Care Products: Used as a primary emulsifier or co-emulsifier in formulations such as creams, lotions, and cleansing oils, imparting a light skin feel, aiding uniform distribution of active ingredients, and building stable product appearance.
• Textile Printing and Dyeing Auxiliaries: Serves as a key component of synthetic fiber spinning oils, providing lubricity and cohesion to reduce breakage; also acts as a leveling agent to improve dye dispersion uniformity, reduce dyeing defects, and enhance fabric hand feel.
• Metalworking Fluids: Plays a dual role of emulsification and boundary lubrication in formulations for cutting fluids, rolling oils, and wire drawing fluids, providing cooling and lubrication, protecting tools and workpieces, extending service life, and improving machining accuracy.
• Pesticide Formulations: Used as an emulsifier for emulsifiable concentrates (EC), microemulsions (ME), and other formulations, significantly improving the dispersion, stability, and wetting/spreading properties of pesticide active ingredients on target plants, thereby enhancing efficacy.
• Industrial Cleaners: Formulates water-based or semi-water-based hard surface cleaners, effectively emulsifying and removing heavy greases, waxes, and organic residues from metal and non-metal surfaces, suitable for degreasing and precision cleaning processes.
• Leather Chemicals: Applied in fatliquoring processes as a fatliquoring agent, helping oils penetrate leather fiber, imparting soft and full hand feel to the finished leather, and improving its extensibility and surface finishing effects.

Technical Parameters (Application Related)

Application Recommendations

• Recommended Dosage: When used as primary emulsifier, 2~5% of total process amount is sufficient to obtain stable emulsion; as co-emulsifier or solubilizer, 0.5~2% can achieve synergistic effects.
• Operation Tips: It is recommended to pre-dissolve in the oil phase, then mix with water phase for emulsification; with appropriate stirring or homogenization, finer emulsion droplet size can be achieved.
• Compatibility Scheme: Can be compounded with Span series, Tween series, and other nonionic surfactants to precisely adjust HLB value and match the emulsifying capacity required for different oils.

Precautions

Based on its GHS classification (Skin irritation Category 2, H315; Serious eye irritation Category 2, H319), wear impermeable gloves and chemical safety goggles during operation, avoiding skin and eye contact. Additionally, this product is prone to hydrolysis in strong acid or strong alkali media; use within pH 5~9 to maintain optimal stability. The product is harmful to aquatic life with long-lasting effects (H412). Do not discharge waste liquid containing the product directly into water bodies or soil after operation; dispose of as hazardous waste through qualified agencies.