Hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC, HMHEC)

Properties and Applications

Hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) is an important non-ionic, water-soluble cellulose derivative. It is a completely odorless, tasteless, and non-toxic white to light-yellow powder that readily dissolves in hot and cold water but is insoluble in most organic solvents. When dissolved in water, it forms a transparent viscous solution which has a non-Newtonian behavior.
The hydroxyl groups of HEC present in the side chains can be reacted with hydrophobic moities to modify the properties of HEC. For example, attaching polyether chains onto the cellulose (alkoxylation) yields hydrophobically modified HEC (HMHEC). It is an associative thickener that forms a reversible three-dimensional supramolecular network in solution through intra- and intermolecular associations of the hydrophobic groups.¹

Hydroxy ethylcellulose is mainly used in water-based products. It finds applications as a binder, film former, rheology modifer (thickener), adhesion promoter, dispersion stabilizer, extender and slumping reducer in numerous products including paints, inks, adhesives, cosmetics, personal care products, textiles, cements, ceramics and paper products.
One of the most important applications of HEC and HMHEC are waterborne architectual coatings. They are either used alone or in combination with other thickeners. Infact, HEC is the most widely used thickener in exterior latex paints because it is compatible with many coating ingredients such as pigments, surfactants, emulsifiers, preservatives, and binders.

Manufacturers & Distributors

¹ In contrast to other thickeners such as HASE (hydrophobically modified alkali-swellable emulsions) and HEUR (hydrophobically modified ethoxylated urethanes), where the thickening effect depends mainly on associative interactions, HMHEC has a more dynamic thickening effect, meaning it thickens aqueous solution not only by hydrophobic association but also by chain entanglement and hydrogen bonding.