On the additive bench of polyether-modified silicone auxiliaries,
BYK-333/307 cover "water-oil universal leveling + substrate wetting",
TEGO Glide 410 leans "slip/scratch", and domestic same-tier grades often stumble on "aqueous haze, solvent foam-stabilizing, recoat edge-creep". As industrial paint, UV ink, epoxy flooring, and waterborne wood tighten demands for
"one aux across water/solvent/solvent-free, lower tension without hurting recoat, low-temp recoverable", a polyether-modified PDMS leveling agent—
colorless to hazy, nD 1.430-1.440, low-temp haze cleared by warming, non-haz—emerges as the formulator's spare part welding "silicone tension-drop + polyether system-affinity" into one molecule.
Addressing this "water-oil universal leveling" slot,
Anhui IOTA Silicone Oil Co., Ltd. (IOTA) releases
Leveling Agent IOTA 21057. Defined by core parameters—
polyether-modified PDMS, low dynamic surface tension, pigment/filler orientation, scratch resistance, recoat-safe—it carries the triple attributes of
"three-system (water/solvent/solvent-free) residence + micro-dose efficiency + low-temp reversible haze," serving as the "leveling anti-crater anchor" for solvent industrial paint, solvent-free epoxy, waterborne PU/acrylic, and printing ink.
Molecular Architecture: PDMS Backbone + Polyether Side-Graft Leveling Logic
IOTA 21057 is a
polyether (EO/PO co) side- or end-grafted polydimethylsiloxane copolymer:
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Silicone Backbone Drops Tension: PDMS segment pulls system surface tension from 30-40 mN/m to 22-26 mN/m, fast spreading, craters (oil/dust/Bernard cells) filled; 200-500 cSt viscosity self-homogenizes at let-down better than high-visc pure silicone, no viscosity drag.
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Polyether Segment System-Kiss: EO/PO ratio tuned to bidirectional water-oil affinity—no haze in waterborne, no orange-peel precipitation in solvent, no split in solvent-free epoxy/PU; polyether polarity buffers pure-silicone over-migration, hence recoat adhesion intact—key vs non-modified silicone oil.
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Pigment/Filler Orientation: During leveling silicone chains enrich at air-liquid interface while polyether stays resin-compatible, dragging pigment/matting powder into uniform layout—gloss up, orange-peel down.
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Low-Temp Reversible Haze: Polyether solubility drops in cold, liquid turns hazy; warming (or blending into formula) clears it, molecule unbroken, efficacy unaffected—winter warehouse stock needs no scrap.
Performance Leap: From Single Anti-Crater to Leveling+Slip Same Body
In solvent, solvent-free, and waterborne contexts, 21057 pays off at once:
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Solvent Industrial Paint/Ink: 0.05-0.3% kills crater volcanoes, wets Al/plastic low-energy substrates, film slip anti-fingerprint.
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Solvent-Free Epoxy/PU: 0.1-0.5% in flooring/adhesive, with defoamer no marked foam-stab, cured surface pinhole-free, scratch up.
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Waterborne PU/Acrylic/Wood: 0.1-1.0% solves sand mark/water mark/soft-block crater, recoat no edge-shrink; neutral-weak-base systems only (like BYK-348 logic).
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UV Ink/Overprint: Suppresses Bernard swirl, lifts gloss; >1% overdose needs foam/recoat check.
Application Penetration: From Epoxy Floor to Waterborne Wood
IOTA 21057 precisely lands on the interface needing
"water-oil-solvent-free triphilic + leveling without recoat loss":
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Coatings: Solvent industrial, solvent-free epoxy floor, waterborne wood/metal, UV clear.
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Ink/Adhesive: Gravure/flexo ink, overprint varnish, epoxy adhesive, PU sealant.
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Leather/Textile: Leather top-coat slip, textile print paste anti-edge-shrink (with IOTA 245 division: 245 wetting, 21057 leveling-feel).
Formulators read 21057 plainly: it does the job of
BYK-333/BYK-307 (solvent-free)—polyether-modified PDMS, water-oil-solvent-free triphilic, recoat-safe, low-temp reversible haze; domestic grade at non-vol >97%, 200-500 cSt, nD 1.430-1.440 triples overlapping import same-tier, meaning industrial paint and waterborne wood plants no longer choose between "crater yield" and "import silicone leveling lead time".
