In the series of Octylphenol Polyoxyethylene Ether products from Guoli Chemical, the core competitive advantage of OP-7 lies in its unique molecular structure design — the average addition of 7 ethylene oxide (EO) units places it in the "golden interval" of hydrophilic-lipophilic balance. Compared to homologues with higher EO numbers (such as OP-10, OP-13, OP-21, OP-30, OP-40), OP-7 has stronger hydrophobicity and more prominent affinity for oil phases and organic solvents, thus performing excellently in water-in-oil (W/O) and phase inversion emulsification systems, which is hard to match by high-EO products.
The cloud point of OP-7 is only 25~35°C, a very special property among similar products. At room temperature, the product appears as a transparent oily liquid, facilitating observation, mixing, and transportation; when applied in cleaning or emulsification processes that require temperature response, its cloud point behavior can be utilized to achieve controllable phase separation effects, offering unique value in scenarios requiring precise temperature control such as metal degreasing cleaning and textile pretreatment. In contrast, high-EO products in the same series (e.g., OP-21 cloud point >100°C, OP-30 excellent water solubility at room temperature) cannot provide such temperature-sensitive characteristics.
In addition, OP-7 combines the two practical advantages of low foaming and strong penetrability. The low-EO molecular configuration leads to lower foaming ability in aqueous solutions, making it particularly suitable for industrial scenarios that should not generate large amounts of foam, such as spray cleaning and continuous textile processing, reducing the use of defoamers, simplifying formulations, and lowering costs. Meanwhile, its penetrating ability is not weakened by the low-foam property; instead, it quickly wets the substrate surface, effectively improving detergency efficiency. Although OP-10 in the same series has excellent emulsifying power, its foam volume is relatively higher; OP-40 excels in dispersion and solubilization, but its wetting and penetrating properties are inferior to OP-7.
| Parameter | OP-7 | OP-10 (for comparison) | OP-21 (for comparison) |
|---|---|---|---|
| EO addition number | Approximately 7 | Approximately 10 | Approximately 21 |
| HLB value | Approximately 11.7 | Approximately 13.5 | Approximately 16.0 |
| Cloud point | 25~35°C | Approximately 60~70°C | >100°C |
| Appearance (room temperature) | Colorless to light yellow transparent oily liquid | Colorless to light yellow transparent liquid | White to light yellow paste or solid |
| Foam characteristics | Low foaming | Medium foaming | High foaming |
| Water solubility | Dispersible and emulsifiable in water | Easily soluble in water | Completely water-soluble |
| Surface tension (0.1% aqueous solution, 25°C) | Approximately 30 mN/m | Not available | Not available |
| CMC (25°C) | Approximately 0.2 mmol/L | Not available | Not available |
| pH value (1% aqueous solution) | 5.0~7.0 | Not available | Not available |
| Active content | ≥99% | Not available | Not available |
Scenarios to prioritize OP-7:
Recommended dosage: When used as an emulsifier, the recommended amount is 2%~8% of the oil phase weight; when used as a wetting/penetrating agent, add 0.1%~1.0% in the formulation. The specific dosage should be determined by experiments based on actual formulation systems and process conditions.