Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) is a non-ionic, semi-synthetic polymer widely used in building materials, medicine, food, cosmetics and other industrial fields.
1. Physical and chemical properties
HPMC is a polymer made from natural plant cellulose through chemical modification. It is usually white or off-white powder, tasteless, odorless and non-toxic. It has good water solubility and can be dissolved in cold or hot water to form a transparent or slightly turbid colloidal solution. Its solubility characteristics are affected by the degree of substitution, molecular weight and temperature.
2. Thickening
HPMC has excellent thickening properties and can significantly increase the viscosity of the solution, making it used as a thickener in industries such as building materials, coatings, and medicine. For example, in cement mortar, it can enhance its workability and construction performance.
3. Water retention
HPMC can effectively reduce the evaporation of water and improve the water retention capacity of the material. This property is particularly important in the construction industry. For example, adding HPMC to cement mortar and gypsum-based materials can extend their open time, improve construction quality, and reduce cracking.
4. Adhesion
Due to its good adhesion properties, HPMC is widely used in tile adhesives, coatings, adhesives and other fields. In tile adhesives, it can enhance the bonding strength and improve the convenience of construction operations.
5. Lubricity
HPMC exhibits good lubricity in aqueous solution, which makes it a good lubricant in the production of construction, coatings, cosmetics and pharmaceutical tablets, improving the performance of the product.
6. Surface activity
The molecular structure of HPMC contains hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups, which makes it have a certain surface activity and can play the role of emulsification, suspension, dispersion and so on. Therefore, it is also used in coatings, emulsion polymerization, detergents and other products.
7. Salt resistance and pH stability
HPMC is a non-ionic polymer substance, so it is relatively stable to electrolytes and is not easy to precipitate with inorganic salts. In addition, it is relatively stable in the pH range of 3 to 11 and is suitable for a variety of environments.
8. Film-forming property
HPMC can form transparent films on the surfaces of various materials with good mechanical strength and flexibility, so it is widely used in medicine (tablet coating), food (protective film), coating (film-forming aid), etc.
9. Temperature resistance
HPMC has good thermal stability and can still maintain a certain structural stability at higher temperatures. It will undergo thermal gelation in aqueous solution under the influence of temperature, that is, it will form a gel at a certain temperature and dissolve again after cooling. This property is widely used in the construction, food and pharmaceutical industries.
10. Biocompatibility and safety
HPMC is a non-toxic, non-irritating polymer material with good biocompatibility, so it is widely used in the pharmaceutical and food industries. For example, it can be used in drug sustained-release systems, eye drops thickeners, and food thickeners and emulsifiers.
Application fields
Due to its excellent physical and chemical properties, HPMC is widely used in the following fields:
Construction industry: used as a thickener and water-retaining agent for cement mortar, tile adhesive, putty powder, and gypsum products to improve construction performance and adhesion.
Pharmaceutical industry: used as a pharmaceutical excipient for tablet adhesives, sustained-release materials, emulsifiers and stabilizers, etc.
Food industry: used as a food thickener, emulsifier, and stabilizer for ice cream, juice, sauces and other products.
Cosmetics industry: used in skin care products, shampoo, toothpaste, etc., to provide thickening, emulsification and moisturizing effects.
Coating industry: used as a thickener and film-forming aid for water-based coatings to improve the uniformity and stability of the coating.
HPMC is an excellent polymer material with the characteristics of thickening, water retention, film formation, lubrication, and adhesion, and is non-toxic and harmless, suitable for multiple industries. It is widely used in construction, medicine, food, cosmetics, coatings and other fields to improve product quality and performance. In the future, with the advancement of technology and the growth of market demand, the application scope of HPMC may be further expanded and play a more important role.
Post time: Mar-27-2025