In the field of fine chemicals, the three types of silicone additives, wetting agents, defoamers and leveling agents, seem to have their own functions, but in fact they can form a subtle synergistic effect in the formulation. The unique "amphiphilic" structure of silicone materials enables them to reduce surface tension and be compatible with a variety of resin systems. This property provides the possibility of multifunctional integration.


In high-end industrial coatings, the collaboration of these three additives is a model. Wetting agents (such as polyether-modified siloxanes) first reduce the surface tension of the coating, so that the liquid forms a uniform liquid film on the surface of the substrate. At this time, defoamers (such as hydrophobic silica composite silicone oils) work synchronously to eliminate microbubbles generated during stirring and construction. When the coating begins to level, leveling agents (such as polyester-modified siloxanes) regulate the surface tension gradient to promote the coating to form a mirror effect. In this process, the difference in the molecular structure of modified siloxanes is the key: wetting agents focus on reducing static surface tension, leveling agents control dynamic surface tension, and defoamers work by destroying the elasticity of the foam film.


Actual application cases show that in a certain automotive coating formula, 0.3% wetting agent, 0.1% defoamer and 0.2% leveling agent can increase the gloss of the coating by 15% and reduce the orange peel index by 30%. This synergy not only does not produce performance offset, but also achieves the effect of 1+1+1>3 through the careful design of the molecular structure. The key lies in the selection of compatible modifying groups, such as a series of additives that are all modified with epoxy groups, which can ensure the stable existence of each component in the system.