Polyethylene Glycol PEG-4000/6000 series (CAS No.: 25322-68-3) are non-ionic high molecular weight polymers, appearing as white to slightly yellow waxy solids or flakes. With its unique molecular structure, this product exhibits excellent emulsifying, wetting, dispersing, and solubilizing capabilities, while remaining stable over a wide pH range, showing outstanding tolerance to acids, alkalis, and hard water environments. It also provides ideal lubrication, moisture retention, and shaping functions.
In the pharmaceutical industry, PEG-4000/6000 are classic pharmaceutical excipients used as ointment bases, suppository bases, and dropping pill carriers. Their suitable melting point and water solubility can significantly increase the dissolution rate and bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs. In the daily chemical field, it serves as a toothpaste humectant to replace or partially replace glycerol, preventing the paste from cracking, and as a conditioning and moisturizing ingredient in shampoos and skin care products. In the industrial sector, this product runs through the entire process from textile spinning, rubber molding, paper coating to metal quenching, providing multiple effects such as lubrication, dispersion, and mold release.
This product is a non-hazardous substance with an acute oral toxicity LD50 greater than 5000 mg/kg, classified as practically non-toxic. During handling, the main concern is to control dust concentration to prevent dust explosion risk (dust explosion class St1). Storage should be sealed and moisture-proof, away from strong oxidizers.
| Application Industry | Specific Process/Use | Functional Description |
|---|---|---|
| Pharmaceutical Industry | Ointment Base and Suppository Base | Utilizes suitable melting point and water solubility as drug carriers to uniformly disperse active ingredients and facilitate easy application or cavity administration |
| Dropping Pill Carrier and Solid Dispersion Carrier | Acts as a water-soluble matrix, significantly increasing the dissolution rate and bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs | |
| Solubilizer and Stabilizer | Used in injections or oral liquid formulations to enhance drug solubility and long-term storage stability | |
| Daily Chemical Industry | Toothpaste Humectant | Replaces or partially replaces glycerol to prevent paste cracking and maintain a fine, glossy paste texture |
| Shampoo and Body Wash Conditioner | Provides a smooth feel, reduces the irritation of surfactants, and acts as a thickener | |
| Moisturizing and Hydrating Ingredient in Skin Care Products | Forms a hydration film in creams and lotions, increasing skin moisture content | |
| Textile Industry | Antistatic Agent and Lubricant | Imparts smoothness and cohesion to synthetic fibers, reducing friction and static electricity, improving textile processing performance |
| Mercerizing Auxiliary | Serves as a penetrating and lubricating medium in the mercerizing process of cotton yarn or fabric, ensuring uniform treatment | |
| Rubber and Plastics | Mold Release Agent | Leverages high-temperature resistance and lubricating properties to help products release smoothly from molds during vulcanization or molding, improving surface finish |
| Lubricating Dispersant | In masterbatch processing and filler systems, improves compatibility between fillers and resin matrices, reducing system viscosity | |
| Functional Modifier | Acts as a plasticizer or hydrophilic modification component to adjust material flexibility and surface properties | |
| Papermaking Industry | Coating Lubricant | Improves coating fluidity in coating formulations for processed paper, preventing sticking to rollers and imparting excellent smoothness to the paper surface |
| Moisturizing Plasticizer | Acts as a dimensional stabilizer, controlling paper moisture content to prevent warping and improve flexibility | |
| Metal Processing | Quenching Fluid Component | As a core additive in water-based quench media, adjusts cooling rate to reduce quenching deformation and cracking risk |
| Cutting Fluid Lubricant Component | Provides excellent boundary lubrication, reducing tool wear; extremely low ash content suitable for precision machining | |
| Agriculture | Carrier for Wettable Powders and Water Dispersible Granules of Pesticides | Acts as a dispersing and binding carrier, rapidly disintegrating and dispersing active ingredients in water, significantly improving pesticide suspension rate and efficacy utilization |
| Analytical Testing | Stationary Phase for Gas Chromatography | Coated on the support surface; due to the polar characteristics of a specific molecular weight, used for separating polar mixtures such as esters and alcohols |
| Intermediate for Bonded Phase Synthesis in High Performance Liquid Chromatography | As a key raw material for synthesizing chromatographic column packing, participating in modification and end-capping reactions |
Different molecular weight grades of PEG have their respective emphases in practical applications: PEG-4000 is more suited for applications requiring moderate melting point and faster dissolution rate, such as dropping pill carriers and toothpaste formulations; PEG-6000, with its higher molecular weight and higher melting point, is more suitable for applications requiring higher thermal stability, such as mold release agents and quenching fluids. Users are advised to select the appropriate molecular weight specification based on specific process temperature, dissolution rate, and viscosity requirements. In pharmaceutical and daily chemical applications, compatibility tests are recommended to determine optimal dosage.