Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. (Head office: Tokyo, President and CEO: Chihiro Kanagawa) has newly developed and begun sales of KS-540, a self-emulsifying-type silicone defoaming agent that possesses strong alkali-resistance. This product not only exhibits a superior sustained defoaming effect when a small amount is added to a strongly alkaline foam fluid of pH=over 10, and even when the foam fluid is at a high temperature, this new silicone product can also obtain a similarly high defoaming performance.

Having all these characteristics, this product is ideal for applications where due to the presence of a strong alkali or at high temperature, the existing defoaming agent could not obtain satisfactory performance, such as applications in pulp manufacturing processes, water-miscible cutting fluids, various alkali cleaning agents and surface-active agents. Compared to existing products, this new silicone product does not lose its defoaming effect in strongly alkaline fluids or in surface-active agents. It also causes fewer dispersion defects, and thus it has the characteristic of high-additive stability for various pharmaceutical applications.

KS-540 is a product made of 100% active ingredients composed of hydrophilic modified silicone fluids and fluid compounds, and it can be used in either water-type or non-aqueous foam fluids. When used in water-type foam fluids, by only adding KS-540 to cold water and mixing it, KS-540 self-emulsifies and a uniform emulsion is obtained. Accordingly, even when the additive amount is small, the amount can be easily adjusted. A sufficient defoaming effect can be expected with an additive amount of 50-200ppm to foam fluids.

Silicones are highly functional materials that combine characteristics of both organic and inorganic materials. They are materials that provide high value-added features for products in a wide range of industrial fields, including electrical and electronic applications, automobiles, construction, cosmetics and chemicals.