Novel Amine Alkoxylate Surfactants as Glass Fiber Dispersants for the Manufacture of Uniform Glass Fiber Mat, 1994 Nonwovens Conference Proceedings

Shafeek Razac, Manilal Dahanayake

Fatty Alkyl Alkoxylate (FAA), amine oxide, nonionic, and cationic are classes of surfactants that are used in the manufacture of non-woven glass fiber mat. Their role in the conventional production of glass fiber mat is well understood. However, in recent years the demand for high density, high strength, and uniform thin sheets of glass mat for application in the building materials industry have resulted in the need for high performance, dispersing and wetting agents. In this respect we have investigated a number of routine and non-traditional surfactants as glass fiber dispersants. The relationship of chemical structure to dispersing properties for the surfactant systems investigated show; a) confirmation of optimum hydrophilic – lipophilic balance for the fatty alkyl alkoxylate (FAA) surfactants for good dispersancy, b) influence of sizing agent/surfactant interaction on the dispersion of “wet-chop” E-glass, c) preferential adsorption of the polar head groups of these surfactants on the uncoated glass fibers, and d) modification of foaming properties.