Gelest's Silane Products Brief Introduction~

 

Kelly chemical serves as the exclusive distributor for Gelest in Taiwan, providing various product services and consultations.

 

Gelest offers a wide range of silane and silicon compounds suitable for both academic research and commercial applications. These products enhance adhesion, improve the mechanical properties of composite materials, disperse pigments and minerals, provide cross-linking, immobilize catalysts, and bond biological materials. Silanes are also used for protection, synthesis, and derivatization of functional groups in organic synthesis. They can impart hydrophobic or hydrophilic surface characteristics.

 

What are Silane Coupling Agents?

Silane coupling agents can form enduring bonds between organic and inorganic materials. The general formula of silane coupling agents typically shows two functional groups: hydrolyzable moiety X and organic functional group R.

X is a hydrolyzable moiety, typically an alkoxy group, acyloxy group, halide, or amine. Upon hydrolysis, it forms reactive silanol groups, which can undergo condensation with other silanol groups (e.g., those on the surface of silica fillers) to create siloxane bonds. Stable condensation products can also form with oxides of aluminum, zirconium, tin, titanium, and nickel. Bonds with oxides of boron, iron, and carbon are less stable. Alkali metal oxides and carbonates do not form stable bonds with Si-O-. R represents a non-hydrolyzable organic group that may possess functionalities to impart desired characteristics.

 

          
                  Trialkoxysilane                       Monoalkoxysilane                              Dipodal Silane

 

The ultimate outcomes of the reaction between organosilanes and substrates include altering the substrate's wetting or adhesion properties, catalyzing chemical transformations at heterogeneous interfaces, creating ordered interfacial regions, and modifying its distribution characteristics. Importantly, it involves the ability to influence the covalent bonding between organic and inorganic materials.

 

                                         Silane Surface Modification

 

Practical Applications Overview-

 

Adhesives and Sealants:

 

Gelest provides a variety of products for various functionalities in adhesive and sealant applications. These include:

 

1.Adhesion Promoters: Used in adhesive and sealant formulations to enhance the adhesive strength of substrates.

 

2.Coupling Agents: Applied to treat fillers used in adhesive and sealant formulations to enhance mechanical performance.

 

3.Silicone Sealant Raw Materials: Functional siloxanes used as raw materials for organic silicone sealants. Various functionalities are available, including those for addition curing such as vinyl and hydride, silanol-terminated fluids for condensation curing, and amine, epoxy resin, methanol, methyl acrylate, and thiol functionalities.

 

4.Cure Enhancers: Catalysts, crosslinkers, and other modifiers used for curing organic silicone sealants.

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Advanced Ceramics:

 

Advanced ceramics are widely used in various applications, with the market continuing to grow at a rate close to 10% annually. Gelest offers many products that serve as precursors for the desired advanced ceramic materials. These are primarily in the form of alkoxides or diketonates, which transform into ceramic materials through sol-gel processes or pyrolysis.

 

1.Aerospace: Combustion gas turbine engine components.

 

2.Defense: Ceramic armor, for example.

 

3.Medical: Hip joint replacements.

 

4.Microelectronics: Wafer manufacturing equipment.

 

5.Optoelectronics: Laser components.

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Conductive Coatings:

 

Materials can be designed to provide varying degrees of conductivity, such as copper, aluminum, and molybdenum. Iron chromium aluminum and molybdenum disilicide are typically used for higher-temperature applications. Some oxide ceramics serve as conductors and semiconductors for special applications. Coatings containing both conductive and non-conductive materials are used to either promote or restrict the flow of heat or electricity into or out of coated objects.

 

1.Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) Shielding

 

2.Anti-static Protection - Anti-static protection for aircraft coatings and other coatings

 

3.Printed Circuit Ink - Added to printer circuit inks to aid in heat dissipation (copier components)

 

4.Conductive Couplings

 

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Hydrophobic Materials:

 

Gelest offers a wide range of silanes and organic silanes for use as surface modifiers. One of the ideal post-treatment characteristics is hydrophobicity. This property can be used, for example, to make glassware waterproof or to cause water to bead up and roll off a substrate due to altered wetting. Alkyl silanes can react onto surfaces using a 5-10% alcohol solution and curing at 100 °C. Organic silanes can be applied in solution form or pure form to produce hydrophobic surfaces. Fluoroalkyl silanes provide both hydrophobic and oleophobic properties.

 

1.Waterproofing Agents

 

2.Mineral Surface Treatment

 

3.Composite Material Fillers, Release Coatings

 

4.Optical Coatings, Bonding Phases

 

5.Self-Assembled Monolayers

 

6.Architectural Coatings

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Separation Science:

 

Gelest offers a range of materials for chemical modifications needed for various chromatography and related applications. These range from silicones with long alkyl chain substitutions used for reverse-phase chromatography to organic-silanes with functional organic functionalities covalently bonded via carbon chains to silicon. Gelest also provides various bifunctional silanes used to prepare specialized silica, for example, mesoporous silica where pore size can be tuned by the size of the organic groups bridging two silicon centers, and derivatives functionalized for excellent hydrophobicity and increased stability in a single phase.

 

1.Reverse-Phase Chromatography

 

2.Surface Modification - Creating Hydrophobic Surfaces or Enhancing Stability

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Surface-Treated Pigments for Personal Care:

 

Gelest's rich experience in silane chemistry facilitates the development of unique surface-treated inorganic pigments and fillers. By altering the surface chemistry of particles, our surface treatments can help enhance your product performance, reduce production time and energy costs, and improve product stability. Gelest offers standard product lines for hydrophobic, oleophobic, and hydrophilic inorganic pigments, as well as custom surface treatments for each customer's unique needs.

 

The role of surface treatment in cosmetic formulations includes:

 

• Improving Skin Feel

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• Enhancing Moisturization

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• Uniform Color Development

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• Maximizing Achievable Pigment Load

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• Reducing Energy and Time Required for Dispersion

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• Dulling the Surface of Pigments to Reduce Physical and Chemical Interaction with the Carrier

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These silane surface treatments can exhibit:

 

• Smooth Tactile Effects

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• Precise Surface Energy Control

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• Oil and Water Repellency - Oleophobic and Hydrophobic

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• Water Dispersibility - Hydrophilic

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Dispersion and Rheological Control

 

• Stability Across Physiological pH Range

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• Lipophilicity - Stable Interaction with Siloxanes, Organic Phase, and Aqueous Phase

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Applications-

 

Changing the surface chemical properties of pigments and powders can provide robust, lasting changes in behavior, expanding the formulation range in personal care. Gelest has the unique ability to synthesize specialty silanes and organic silanes and use these materials for reactive surface treatments.

 

For more product details and information, please refer to the official Gelest website at

 

https://www.gelest.com/product-groups/silanes/.

 

#Gelest #Silane #Hydrophobic materials #Conductive coatings #Enhanced adhesion #Coupling agents