What is Polyether L-45? What are its main uses?

Polyether L-45 is a polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene block copolymer (poloxamer-type) nonionic surfactant produced by Guoli Chemical. It has excellent emulsifying, wetting, dispersing, and low-foaming properties and is widely used in industrial cleaning, dish drying, metalworking fluids, textile auxiliaries, pesticide emulsification, and defoaming, among other fields.

Detailed Description

Polyether L-45 (CAS: 9003-11-6), full name polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene block copolymer, also known as Polyether Polyol L-45, Pluronic L-45, or Poloxamer, is a classic nonionic surfactant produced by Guoli Chemical. The product appears as a colorless to slightly yellow transparent liquid with a molecular weight range of 2000~3000. It is a low-foaming surfactant, soluble in water, ethanol, ether, and various other solvents.

The core advantage of this product lies in its excellent emulsifying ability, which can quickly form a stable emulsion system; at the same time, it has outstanding wetting and dispersing properties, significantly improving interface efficiency. It exhibits remarkable acid and alkali stability, maintaining activity under a wide range of pH conditions, and has strong hard water resistance, with no reduction in activity in calcium and magnesium ion environments. The most critical feature is its low-foaming tendency, making it particularly suitable for high-efficiency cleaning and rapid rinsing processes.

Technical Parameters

(Source: Guoli Chemical Product Database)

Application Recommendations

Leveraging its multifunctional properties, Polyether L-45 covers six core application areas:

• Industrial Cleaners: As a highly efficient low-foaming wetting agent, it can rapidly penetrate and emulsify heavy oil and grease, significantly improving the cleanliness of metal and hard surface spray cleaning. Recommended addition amount is 2%~8% of the total formulation.
• Dish Drying Agents: By significantly reducing the surface tension of rinse water, it promotes uniform spreading and rapid detachment of the water film, leaving dishes dry immediately after removal from the machine without water spots or stains. Recommended for commercial dishwasher drying agent formulations with an addition amount of 5%~15%.
• Metalworking Fluids: It provides both lubrication and cooling assistance. Its excellent foam suppression effectively prevents processing foam overflow, ensuring stability in high-pressure spraying and high-speed cutting.
• Textile Scouring and Bleaching Auxiliaries: With outstanding penetration and dispersion capabilities, it efficiently removes cotton wax and impurities during desizing, scouring, and bleaching processes, while suspending contaminants to prevent redeposition.
• Pesticide Emulsifiers: It allows oily pesticide active ingredients to automatically disperse into stable emulsions with uniform particle size in water, which are not prone to layering or separation, ensuring effective field application.
• Defoamers: It has an extremely low foaming tendency and can synergistically control foam with silicone or mineral oil. It is widely used as a base carrier or synergistic component in industrial defoamer formulations.

Precautions

Safety Hazards: This product is a low-toxicity chemical, but according to GHS classification, it can cause serious eye irritation (H319), skin irritation (H315), and respiratory tract irritation (H335). Always wear chemical safety goggles, butyl or nitrile rubber protective gloves during operation, and use in a well-ventilated area to avoid inhalation of vapors or mists.

Storage Conditions: Store in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated warehouse. The storage temperature should be controlled between 5~35°C. Keep containers tightly closed and away from heat sources, sparks, and incompatible materials such as strong oxidizers.

Emergency Treatment: If contact with eyes or skin occurs, immediately flush with plenty of running water for at least 15 minutes. If irritation persists, seek medical attention immediately. In case of inhalation exposure, move the person quickly to fresh air. Do not induce vomiting. If ingested, rinse mouth and drink a small amount of water to dilute. Show the product label or safety data sheet when seeking medical attention.