Steareth-10 (SG-10) is a classic non-ionic O/W emulsifier, with its core characteristics being excellent emulsifying capability, broad compatibility, and mild safety profile, making it suitable for various industries including cosmetics, textiles, detergents, and metalworking.
Detailed Description
Steareth-10 (SG-10) (CAS No.: 9004-99-3), chemically named Polyoxyethylene (10) Stearate, appears as a pale yellow paste to solid at room temperature. Its molecular structure contains both hydrophilic polyoxyethylene chain segments and lipophilic stearate groups. This amphiphilic structure endows the product with excellent surface activity and extremely broad application adaptability.
As a non-ionic surfactant, SG-10 does not ionize in aqueous solution, thus possessing outstanding chemical stability—it maintains stable performance in acidic, alkaline, and hard water media, and is not easily affected by water quality and pH fluctuations. Furthermore, it exhibits good compatibility with anionic, cationic, and other non-ionic surfactants, offering extremely high formulation flexibility and can be widely used as a primary or co-emulsifier in various compounded systems.
In terms of safety, SG-10 is classified as low toxicity (rat acute oral LD50 > 5,000 mg/kg). A 5% dilution is non-irritating to the skin, non-sensitizing, and non-genotoxic. Under OECD 301B test conditions, its 28-day biodegradation rate exceeds 60%, classifying it as readily biodegradable and compliant with environmental regulations. It is an ideal choice that combines performance with environmental advantages.
Core Performance Characteristics
| Performance Indicator | Specific Description |
|---|
| Emulsifying Capability | Excellent, particularly suitable for the preparation and stabilization of O/W emulsion systems |
| Wetting and Dispersing Property | Good, effectively reduces interfacial tension |
| Chemical Stability | Excellent performance in acidic, alkaline, and hard water media |
| Compatibility | Good compatibility with anionic, cationic, and non-ionic surfactants |
| Skin Irritation | Non-irritating (5% dilution), high safety in use |
| Biodegradability | Readily biodegradable, 28-day degradation rate > 60% |
| Ecotoxicity | Fish 96h LC50 > 100 mg/L, low aquatic toxicity |
Application Suggestions
The core application of SG-10 revolves around its O/W emulsifying capability, primarily covering the following eight major fields:
- Cosmetics and Personal Care Products: Used in formulating O/W type products like creams and lotions, imparting a fine texture and good spreading skin feel; also used in cleansing creams and cleansing balms, combining emulsifying and mild cleansing functions.
- Textile Printing and Dyeing Auxiliaries: Used as a leveling agent to promote uniform dye uptake, as a softening agent to impart a smooth handle to fabrics, as an antistatic agent to reduce static charge buildup on synthetic fibers, and can also be used in the soaping process to prevent staining of white grounds.
- Industrial and Household Detergents: Enhances the emulsifying, dispersing, and removal capabilities against oily soils, improving low-temperature washing performance.
- Metalworking Fluids: Used as an emulsion stabilizer in emulsifiable cutting fluids, providing lubrication, cooling, and anti-rust functions.
- Pesticide Emulsifiers: Serves as a core emulsifying component in emulsifiable concentrate formulations, ensuring rapid and uniform dispersion of the pesticide concentrate upon dilution.
- Emulsion Polymerization Stabilizers: Controls micelle formation and particle size distribution during the emulsion polymerization of acrylates, styrene-acrylics, and other systems.
- Leather Chemicals: Used in fatliquoring agent and degreasing agent formulations.
- Coating Dispersants: Assists in the wetting and dispersion of pigments and fillers, improving the storage stability of coatings.
Precautions
- The pure product may cause slight, reversible eye irritation; wearing chemical safety goggles is recommended during handling.
- Recommended storage temperature should not exceed 40°C. Keep containers tightly closed to prevent moisture absorption and caking.
- Should be stored separately from strong oxidizing agents and acidic substances to avoid incompatible reactions.
- Although skin irritation is low, long-term or repeated contact with the pure product may still cause skin dryness. Wearing impermeable gloves is recommended.
