Technical library
Technical notes and selection guidance on surfactants, polyether polyols and textile auxiliaries.
Surfactant Basics
Span and Tween name the same sorbitan backbone at two points on the HLB scale: the sorbitan esters (Span) are the lipophilic half and the ethoxylated polysorbates (Tween) the hydrophilic half. This note covers the naming, the HLB arithmetic, how to blend a pair, and what to confirm on the lot certificate.
2026-10-09
Surfactant Basics
A Tween 80 equivalent is a claim, not a fact. This note sets out what "equivalent" has to mean at specification level, the six items to compare line by line, where equivalence claims usually break down, and a bench sequence for qualifying a substitute in your own oil and your own water.
2026-10-01
Surfactant Basics
Tween 80 and Tween 40 are two members of the same polysorbate series. Here is what actually differs between them, how to read the balance instead of the label, and a bench sequence for making the choice.
2026-09-30
Surfactant Basics
Coconut diethanolamide (6501 / CDEA) in plain terms: where the name comes from, the jobs it does in shampoo and liquid detergent, how it differs from CMEA, and which figures to confirm on the lot certificate.
2026-09-29
Surfactant Basics
A surfactant is a chemistry class; an emulsifier is a job description. Where the two terms overlap, where they diverge, and why the difference changes how you shortlist a grade.
2026-09-28
Polyether & Polyol
The number after 'PEG' is the average chain length, and it predicts form, hydroxyl value, solubility and end use. How to read it, how to sanity-check it, and how to specify it.
2026-09-28
Surfactant Basics
The hydrophilic head of an emulsifier decides water solubility, HLB and hard-water behaviour. A look at the main head-group families and how to select by head group.
2026-09-23
Formulation Guidance
A practical walkthrough of emulsifier selection for agrochemical formulations — from active and solvent to HLB, ionic type and storage stability.
2026-08-22
Surfactant Basics
Nonionic and anionic surfactants compared - ionic compatibility, hard-water behaviour, when to blend the two, and how to read a nonionic emulsifier from its ethoxylation, HLB and cloud point.
2026-08-15
Textile Auxiliaries
How surfactants drive levelling, penetration and scouring in textile dyeing auxiliaries, and how to pick grades.
2026-08-08
Polyether & Polyol
How polyether polyols and block polyethers work in defoaming, levelling and polyurethane systems.
2026-08-01
