Question

What industries and processes are polyether L-45 mainly used in?

Answer
2026-05-27 官方文档 聚醚L-45

Polyether L-45 is widely used in six major industry sectors: industrial cleaning, dishware drying, metalworking, textile auxiliaries, pesticide emulsification, and defoamers.

Detailed Description

Polyether L-45 (CAS: 9003-11-6) is a poloxamer-type nonionic surfactant, appearing as a colorless to slightly yellow transparent liquid. Its core advantages lie in excellent emulsifying, wetting, and dispersing abilities, along with low-foaming characteristics and outstanding resistance to acids, alkalis, and hard water, enabling it to play a key role in various industrial scenarios.

In industrial cleaning agents, polyether L-45 serves as an efficient low-foaming wetting agent, quickly penetrating and emulsifying heavy oil and grease, significantly improving the cleanliness of metal and hard surface spray cleaning. In dishware drying agents, it greatly reduces the surface tension of rinse water, promoting uniform spreading and rapid detachment of the water film, leaving dishes immediately dry upon removal from the machine without water spots or streaks.

In metalworking fluids, polyether L-45 combines lubrication and auxiliary cooling functions, and its foam-suppressing properties effectively prevent processing foam overflow, ensuring stability in high-pressure spray and high-speed cutting operations. In textile scouring and bleaching processes, it efficiently removes cotton wax impurities and suspends dirt through its penetration and dispersion capabilities. As a pesticide emulsifier, it enables oil-based active ingredients to automatically disperse into stable emulsions in water, ensuring field application efficacy. Additionally, its extremely low foaming tendency makes it a base carrier or synergistic component in industrial defoamer formulations.

Overview of Application Industries and Processes

Application IndustrySpecific Process/UseCore Function
Industrial cleaningMetal and hard surface spray cleaning, heavy oil and grease cleaningLow-foaming wetting, penetrating and emulsifying oil
Dishware dryingRinse and drying in commercial dishwashersReduces surface tension, accelerates water film detachment, prevents spots and streaks
MetalworkingHigh-pressure spray processing, high-speed cuttingLubrication and cooling, foam suppression and overflow prevention
Textile printing and dyeingDesizing, scouring, bleaching processesPenetration and dispersion, removal of cotton wax impurities, suspension of dirt
Pesticide formulationsWater-based emulsification of oil-based active ingredientsEmulsification and dispersion, forming stable emulsions
DefoamersBase material for industrial defoamer formulationsLow-foam carrier, synergistic foam control and enhancement

Application Recommendations

Polyether L-45 is suitable for a wide range of pH conditions, maintaining stable activity in acidic, neutral, and alkaline systems, with no performance loss even in hard water environments with high calcium and magnesium ion content. It is recommended to adjust the dosage in the formulation based on specific process requirements. Generally, when used as an emulsifier or wetting agent, the addition amount is low; as a defoamer carrier, the proportion can be appropriately increased.

Precautions

This product is a low-toxicity chemical, but can cause serious eye irritation (H319), skin irritation (H315), and respiratory tract irritation (H335). During operation, wear chemical safety goggles and nitrile rubber protective gloves, and ensure good ventilation in the working environment. Storage temperature should be controlled at 5–35°C, keep containers tightly closed, and keep away from incompatible substances such as strong oxidizers, strong acids, and strong bases. Please refer to the product safety data sheet for detailed safe operation and emergency response measures.