Differences between Momentive adhesives and domestic adhesives

Silicone glass adhesive is commonly used in construction and daily life.

According to the reaction characteristics of the curing mechanism, it can be divided into two types, single-component and dual-component. In terms of the single-component silicone adhesive, the curing is achieved by the crosslinking reaction with the moisture in the air and the heat absorbed; it is commonly used in household decoration, kitchen, bathroom, solar panel glass, fish tank, glass curtain wall, aluminum-plastic panel and other civil projects.

The two-component silicone adhesive is packaged and stored separately in component A and component B. Under normal conditions, the component A is stored in white package and the component B is in black package. The two components need to be mixed before curing and bonding. This product is generally used for engineering purposes, such as hollow glass deep processing and curtain wall construction, etc. It is easy to store and has excellent stability.

• 1.Use：
  The one-component silicone glass adhesive is an instant type of adhesive; it can be easily extruded from its package with a caulking gun, and the adhering surface can be smoothed with a spatula or a piece of wood chip.
• 2. Adhering time:
  The curing process of the silicone adhesive develops inwards from the surface. The silicone adhesives with different characteristics have various surface drying time and curing time. Therefore, the adhesive surface should be smoothed before the drying of the adhesive surface (the surface curing time of acid adhesives and neutral adhesives is generally within 5-10 minutes, and the surface curing time of variegated adhesives is generally within 30 minutes).If the masking tape is used to cover a certain position, it must be removed before the curing of adhesive surface.
• 3. Curing time:
  The curing time of glass adhesives increases when the bonding thicknesses become larger. For example, an acid glass adhesive which is 12mm thickness may take 3-4 days to solidify, but within about 24 hours, about 3mm of the outer layer has solidified. For bonding glass, metal or most wood, it can reach an anti-stripping strength of 20 lbs/inch after 72 hours at room temperature.
  
  If the glass adhesive is used is partially or fully enclosed positions, the curing time will be determined according to the tightness of the sealing. In an absolutely enclosed position, the adhesive may remain uncured forever. The glass adhesive will be softened If the temperature goes up. The gaps between the bonding surfaces of metals shall not exceed 25mm.In various bonding conditions, including enclosing conditions, the bonding effect should be thoroughly checked before the operation of bonded equipment.
  
  During the curing process, the acid glass adhesive will generate a pungent smell arouse by the volatilization of acetic acid, and the smell will disappear after the completion of the curing process.
• 4. Bonding:
  • A. Thoroughly clean the surface of the metal and plastic, removing the oil stains, and then rinse all bonding surfaces with acetone; plastic parts are not allowed to be rinsed with acetone; for a rubber surface, it should be polished with abrasive papers before being rinsed with acetone. Pay attention to follow the precautions when carry out rinsing with acetone solutions.
  • B. Apply the glass adhesive evenly on the surface to be bonded. If two surfaces are to be bonded together, place one surface in an appropriate position and press the other surface to squeeze out the air between the bonding surfaces; pay attention not to squeeze out the adhesives.
  • C. Put the bonded device at a place with normal room temperatures to allow the glass adhesives being solidified.
• 5. Sealing:
  When silicone glass adhesives are used in enclosed conditions, follow the procedures mentioned above and squeeze the adhesive on the bonding surface or into the bonding joint to allow the adhesive fully contacting with the surfaces to be bonded.
• 6. Cleaning:
  Before the glass adhesive becoming solidified, it can be wiped off with a strip of cloth or paper towel. After curing, the adhesive would have to be scraped off with a scraper or rinsed off with dimethyl benzene, acetone or other solvents.

1. The glass adhesives shall be stored in a cool and dry place, with a temperature of below 30°C.Acid glass adhesives with superior quality can be stored for more than 12 months, and common acid glass adhesives can be stored for more than 6 months;
2. Neutral weatherproof and structural adhesives can be stored for more than 9 months within warranty periods. If the packaging bottle is open, the adhesives should be used up within a short period of time. If the glass adhesive is not used up, the packaging bottle must be sealed. When using it again, the bottle mouth should be unscrewed to remove any blockages or replace the bottle mouth with a new one.

Glass adhesives commonly used in home decoration is divided into two types according to performance: neutral glass adhesive and acid glass adhesive.

It is common that many people do not know how to use the neutral glass adhesive and the acid glass adhesive properly because they do not understand their characteristics. In bathroom decoration, glass adhesives are generally used in the following positions: the joints between the bealocks on the back of wooden accessories, sanitary ware, toilet bowl, cosmetic mirror, sink and the floor and walls, etc.; glass adhesives with different characteristics are needed for different positions to be bonded.

Neutral glass adhesives do not have as strong adhesive forces as other types of glass adhesives, and are generally used on the back of bathroom mirrors and other positions where not strong adhesive forces are required. Neutral glass adhesives find wide applications in home decoration, as they have little corrosion, while acid glass adhesives are generally used in the bealocks of wooden accessories due to their strong adhesive forces.

Special attention shall be paid on the mildew prevention during the use of glass adhesives. For example, glass adhesives are often used in the decoration of the bathroom where the environment is very damp and vulnerable to mildew; therefore, preventive measures should be taken to avoid mildew. Generally, there are precautions for mildew prevention on the packaging bottle of glass adhesives. In addition, some glass adhesives with poor quality do not have the function of mildew prevention.

Glass adhesives are suitable for the bonding of various materials, such as glasses, ceramics, metals, hard plastics, aluminum-plastic panels, stones, woods, bricks and cements, etc., and they are widely applied in home decoration. However, proper storage gives full play to their performance.

The glass adhesives shall be stored in a cool and dry place, with a temperature of below 30°C.Acid glass adhesives with superior quality can be stored for more than 12 months, and common acid glass adhesives can be stored for more than 6 months; neutral weatherproof and structural adhesives can be stored for more than 9 months within warranty periods. If the packaging bottle is open, the adhesives should be used up within a short period of time. If the glass adhesive is not used up, the packaging bottle must be sealed. When using it again, the bottle mouth should be unscrewed to remove any blockages or replace the bottle mouth with a new one.

If the adhesives are not stored properly, they may become "useless"; it does not mean the expiration of the guarantee period, but the adhesives lose the bonding force due to man-made reasons. Since the glass adhesives play an indispensable role in the home decoration, we need to grasp the correct storage method.

Glass adhesives can be regarded as a special type of glues, and they are commonly used for construction and industrial purposes. According to insiders, due to unique characteristics of glass adhesives, operators need to grasp the following key points before they use the adhesives.

First of all, the operator shall learn how to use the caulking gun which is specially designed for spraying the glass adhesives; only by grasping how to use the gun correctly, will the spraying path of the adhesives be straight, without contaminating other positions. Once the position not to be bonded is contaminated with the adhesives, the contaminant must be removed immediately; otherwise, it will be troublesome if the adhesives become solidified.

Secondly, grasp the adhesive width. There are requirements for the spraying area of glass adhesives, and the spraying area is indicated as the adhesive width. If the width is too large, it will negatively affect the appearance and waste the adhesives; while if the width is insufficient, the adhesive force will not be enough.

At last, grasp the spraying speed. When a caulking gun is used, it is better to spray the adhesives at a constant speed; otherwise, the adhesive width will be uniform.

Above all, there are several points which shall be noticed for the storage and use of glass adhesives, and operators should learn and grasp these points.

Pay attention that: although glass adhesives are not toxic, they are generally corrosive! Detailed notices are as follows:

The glass adhesive is a type of single-component room temperature vulcanized (RTV) silicone sealant that is elastic and deacidified; it is made of silicone rubber as the main raw material, adding reinforcing agent, crosslinking agent, antioxidant, accelerator and plasticizer, etc. The single-component RTV sealant synthetized by advanced technology has good weathering resistance. It can be used for the sealing of common building materials, such as glass, ceramics and aluminum alloys, oil-free woods, bricks and ceramic tiles, etc. It can be used for the assembly of waterproofing glass, but not for structural glass.

1. Remove the water, grease, dust and other contaminants from the surface of the joint. If necessary, solvents (such as xylene and butanone) can be used.
2. Wipe out all residues with a piece of clean cloth, and keep the surface fully clean and dry. Cover the areas near the surface to be bonded with plastic tapes to keep the sealing path neat.
3. Cut off the orifice of the packaging bottle and install the needle nose tube, then cut the tube at a 45° angle according to according to the size of the joint.
4. Install it into the caulking gun and squeeze out the sealant at a 45° angle along the joint; ensure that the sealant squeezed out closely contact with the surface of the substrate. When the width of the joint is larger than 15mm, it is necessary to spray the sealant repeatedly. After the applying the sealant, trim the surface with a scrapper to remove excessive sealant; then tear off the tapes, and if there is any stain, wipe it out with a piece of damp cloth.
5. The surface of the sealant will be vulcanized after 10 minutes at room temperatures, and will be completely vulcanized after 24 hours or more, depending on the thickness of the sealant applied and the temperature and humidity of the environment.

1. As it is acidic, the working site shall be ventilated when a large amount of sealants are used.
2. Avoid the skin contacting with the sealant for a long time. If the un-vulcanized sealant is caught in the eyes, please flush your eyes with a large amount of clean water immediately or see a doctor.
3. Never put the sealant in your mouth and keep it away from children.
4. The residual sealant inside the packaging bottle shall be tightly sealed to avoid being vulcanized due to being exposed to the air.
5. The sealant can be stored and transported as non-hazardous goods; the sealant should be stored in dry places with low temperatures; the storage period is more than 6 months from the date of manufacture.

Many domestic manufacturers simply import virgin or synthetic rubbers and add certain additives, then they put on their trademarks. It is difficult for users to identify the specific quality of these glass adhesives and sealants. There are some simple points for the selection of proper sealants.

1. You need to know where the glass adhesives will be applied. Different types of glass adhesives are needed for the sealing of kitchen countertops, doors and windows, toilets and fish tanks, etc.
2. Go to large supermarkets of building materials such as B&Q to get expensive sealants and adhesives.
3. elect brand products. Generally speaking, it is hard to find quality sealants which are sold for less than 30 yuan. The sealants sold for 5-10 yuan at informal stores are often of poor quality.

1. The quality of glass adhesives can be examined from the aspects of viscosity, tension, mildew resistance, cleaning method and color change, etc. In terms of colors, various colors, including white, black, colored and transparent, etc., are available.
2. Acidic silicone sealant: it can seal a certain width and has outstanding adhesive forces for most building materials, such as glass, aluminum, woods and other non-oily materials. But it is not suitable for bonding ceramics and marbles.
3. Neutral silicone sealant: it can be used for bonding ceramic sanitary ware, marbles and other materials.
4. A large varieties of glass, plastics, plastic acid, plastic atmospheric neutral, neutral silicate structural adhesives, stone silicone rubbers, plastic mold neutral, insulating glass, plastics, polyethylene-aluminum panels, special sealant for aquarium, large size glass sealant, mold plastics in bathroom, rubber and other acid structures.

Classification of silicone sealants

Silicone sealants can be divided into two categories according to product packaging: single-component and dual-component. The single-component silicone sealant is solidified due to chemical reaction with the moisture in the air; the dual-component silicone sealant is composed of the component A and the component B, and only the two components are mixed, will they be solidified.

At present, it is a commonly used silicone sealant that is used for the bonding of glass. The acidic nature of one-component silicone sealants is divided into two types which are rubber and plastic neutrals.

The acid glass sealant is mainly used for the bonding ordinary glass with other building materials. The acid neutrality of the adhesive overcomes the corrosion of the metal material and reactions with the alkali; therefore it has wider application ranges, but its market price is slightly higher than those of silicone sealants.

The silicone sealant is a special type of sealant in the market, and it is used to bonding of metals with glass structure as well as the non-structural installation on glass curtain walls, so that the quality requirements can be achieved. Its market price is comparatively higher.

As we all know, sealants, bonding agents and glues are easy to remove from no matter where they are adhered to before they become solidified, and sometime, they can be easily wiped out by a piece of cloth that is dipped with some water before complete curing.

If the tempered glass sealant is sprayed on smooth surfaces like tempered glass, it can be removed with a scrapper or a razor blade; only pay attention not to scratch the tempered glass.

Different tempered glass sealants have different properties. For example, acid tempered glass sealants and neutral tempered glass sealants contain different chemical compositions; therefore, the removing methods for the sealants are different, to which special attention should be paid to avoid unexpected consequences.

Lacquer thinner can be used for the removal of the sealant as it contains the composition of "butyl acetate" which has the "scent of bananas"; pure lacquer thinner is slightly soluble in water, and is effectively soluble in various organic solvents.

Nail polish remover can also be used. The using method is the same as that of the alcohol acetone, and the removing effect is very satisfying. There is no requirement for the quality of the nail polish remover, and either superior or common ones can be used. After all, the nature of nail polish is similar to that of tempered glass sealant, and it is also of high viscosity and difficult to clean after being solidified.