The Many Utilizations of Antimony
The main derivative of antimony metal is antimony trioxide. The many uses of this product include things as varied as a catalyst, an opacifier, a flame retardant synergist, a clarifying agent, or a white pigment. The industries that use antimony oxide are as varied as its applications. You can find antimony used in the plastics industry, textiles, glass making, paint, construction materials, and porcelain and enamel.
Antimony oxide itself is not a flame retardant, but a flame retardant synergist. The antimony works in combination with a halogen flame retardant. The presence of the antimony allows you to use half as much halogen as you would otherwise to achieve the same level of flame protection. You will find the antimony/halogen combination used in a very wide variety of applications. Some of the most common plastics are high impact polystyrene (HIPS), ethylene propylene diene M- class rubber (EPDM), polyethylene (PE), epoxies, polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyurethanes, and phenolics. Plastics companies use many additives like halogen flame retardant in a variety of ways. You can buy antimony trioxide in large supersacks or multi-walled paper bags of various sizes. Other packaging options include drums or kegs. You will find that the halogen flame retardant is packaged the same way. If industrial hygiene is a concern, you can find some companies that will sell you a liquid dispersion that includes both already mixed in the right ratios.
The glass industry also uses antimony oxide as a clarifying agent. Many glass manufacturers purchase ingredients in glass to help with the quality of their product. The clarifying agent is added to glass to make it clear from inclusions and clear in color. The bubbles, inclusions, and colors that the glass maker does not want in the final product are removed by adding the antimony during the meltdown process. Sand has many natural impurities and they will lead to light blue or light green glass if it is not treated with a clarifying agent. Antimony is widely considered a good choice because it does not react with ultraviolet light over time like some other clarifying agents. One example is with manganese oxide which turns the glass purple over time as it starts to break down.
Antimony is also used as a catalyst in the polymerization of polyethylene terephthalate or PET.The polymerization of polyethylene terephthalate or PET requires a catalyst and antimony is used for that purpose as well. PET is a very common substance as it is used to make water bottles and other liquid containers among other things. Antimony that is used as a catalyst is usually of higher purity than the product used for glass or flame retardants. Many manufacturers use this catalyst because the cost/performance ratio is very good. Other catalysts may work better than antimony but not enough because they are still too expensive.
Because it is a white powder, antimony is sometimes used as a white pigment The most common industries to use it for that purpose are the porcelain and enamel industries that use it as an opacifier. Companies can purchase antimony is many ways like as a high purity antimony trioxide catalyst and as a result it is used in many final products. Almost everyone will come into contact with a product that used antimony oxide in the manufacturing process or contains antimony trioxide purposefully every day. It is a very useful material.
Technorati Tags: No Tags
Related Tags: No Tags
Possible Related Posts
No related posts
