Study on the Behavior of Associative Polyurethane Thickener with a Proper Hydrophilic Segment Length

Polyurethane thickeners are important member of associative thickeners group. The structures of these materials consist of a hydrophilic segment with hydrophobic end segments. Firstly, the effect of polyethylene glycol molecular weight was studied toinvestigate the influence of hydrophilic segment on performance of polyurethane thickeners. Then, the optimum molar ratio of OH/NCO was obtained for synthesizing of the thickeners. Finally the model thickener was prepared with the suitable structure. The performance of the synthesized associative thickener was studied in water and a water-based resin. The associative thickener model showed very good thickening efficiency. J. Color Sci. Tech. 2(2009), 249-255.© Institute for Colorants, Paint and Coatings.