Select Your Region
Water-based adhesives are one of the fastest-growing adhesive formats due to the advantages they provide in terms of safety and sustainability by eliminating VOCs and flammability risks. These adhesives are typically easy to apply and achieve the required level of durability and performance to suit a variety of applications. |
Chemically, METHOCEL™ is similar in structure to cellulose but with substitutions of methyl chloride or propylene oxide and methyl chloride made to hydroxy groups to yield methylcellulose or hydroxypropyl methylcellulose respectively, as viewed in the picture below. As cellulose is not naturally water soluble, these substitutions help increase water solubility and make METHOCEL™ compatible with water-based systems.
Gelation of 2.0% aqueous solution of METHOCEL™ A-series grade, heating at 0.25°C/min |
Apparent viscosity versus shear rate, 2% aqueous solutions, 20°C | Apparent viscosity versus shear rate for aqueous solutions of 4,000 mPa·s with various METHOCEL™ concentrations |
The shear-thinning rheology that METHOCEL™ imparts is useful because it allows for easy spreading or spraying of the adhesives onto vertical or overhead surfaces under high shear. When shear is removed and the adhesive is set on the surface, the viscosity will rebuild to provide thickening, preventing the adhesive from sagging or dripping and leading to better workability and less waste.
The properties outlined above for METHOCEL™ make it useful for a host of water-based adhesives. Below are examples where METHOCEL™ is valued as a binder or rheology modifier in these formulations.
METHOCEL™ provides value in latex-based adhesives as a thickener to increase viscosity to the desired level while imparting shear-thinning rheology. When METHOCEL™ is added to latex-based adhesives, it also facilitates better dry times and increases wet-tack strength due to the thermal gelation properties described above. In addition, it provides better stabilization for inorganic, insoluble fillers and additives, such as pigments. Since METHOCEL™ is nonionic, it is compatible with various latex adhesive formulations.
These compounds are typically used with carpets made from synthetic fibers, such as nylon and polyester, to prevent dimensional shrinkage or stretching and mitigate curling during carpet installation. METHOCEL™ provides value in these compounds by thickening the adhesive to keep it within the carpet glue line instead of seeping into the carpet backing. The thermal gelation properties METHOCEL™ offers also help the adhesive set faster and dry quickly when heated.
These adhesives are used to bond leather hides to glass or porcelain surfaces to prevent shrinkage during drying processes. Compared to starch, commonly used in these types of adhesives, METHOCEL™ provides an advantage as a rheology modifier and binder with better water retention and initiates thermal gelation, creating stronger bonds.
METHOCEL™ is used in adhesives to laminate plywood because they deliver excellent viscosity control and impart shear-thinning rheology, both of which increase workability. Since plywood lamination involves bonding veneers together under pressure and heat, the thermal gelation properties of METHOCEL™ increase the green strength and durability of the adhesive during assembly and early cure. Thermal gelation also helps prevent the adhesive from soaking too deeply into the veneers during curing.
In dry-mix wallpaper pastes, METHOCEL™ is used as the primary binder to improve wet tack. It also functions as a rheology modifier to help control viscosity to the desired level. The wet tack METHOCEL™ provides enables it to adhere various paper types to the wall while being easily repositionable prior to curing. The repositioning is possible because solutions containing METHOCEL™ also have good lubricity.
Selecting the appropriate METHOCEL™ grade depends on the viscosity requirements of the adhesive application, thermal gelation properties, and desired solution preparation technique. METHOCEL™ grades are appended with a letter indicating the polymer’s degree of methoxy and hydroxpropyl substitution, as viewed below.
In general, METHOCEL™ grades with higher methoxy content have lower thermal gelation temperatures. Thus, if thermal gelation is a property to be leveraged, grades with higher methoxy substitution should be selected. If an organic solvent will be present as a cosolvent in adhesive formulations, grades with high hydroxypropyl and methoxy substitution will have better solubility.
Apart from the substitution level, the viscosity is another determining factor in selecting a grade for thickening properties. Below is a list of select grades for adhesives with corresponding viscosities. It should be noted that the molecular weight of the polymer corresponds with the viscosity, which also corresponds with how pronounced the shear-thinning properties are. Therefore, a grade should be selected with this in mind when choosing a shear-thinning rheology modifier. Click on the grades below for a full description and more information.
Grade | Viscosity (2% in water, cPs) | Gelation Temperature (°C) |
A15LV | 15 | 50–55 |
A4C | 400 | |
A4M | 4,000 | |
F50 | 50 | 58–65 |
F4M | 4,000 | |
J12MS | 12,000 | 62–68 |
J75MS | 75,0000 | |
K4M | 4,000 | 70–90 |
K15M | 15,000 |
Several other METHOCEL™ options are available. More information and a full list of METHOCEL™ grades can be found here.
The letter S in the J12MS and K75MS grade names indicates that the grade’s surface is modified with glyoxal to delay hydration until the pH is adjusted to 9. This can help with complete dispersion prior to hydration to prevent clumping. For more information on the significance of this and to help create solutions of METHOCEL™, visit this page for an instructional video.
METHOCEL™ is an ideal binder and rheology modifier additive for various water-based adhesive formulations. It is naturally derived from cellulose and enables good hydrogen bonding, thermal gelation properties, and shear-thinning rheology. These properties make METHOCEL™ ideal for adhesives because they facilitate high adhesive and cohesive strength, impart excellent green strength, and reduce dripping and sagging on overhead and vertical surfaces. Click below to request more information or a sample of METHOCEL™ for your adhesive application.
PHONE 425.372.9464
We’ve detected that you are located in a different region than the region selected on the website. Would you like to change your region?
Current Region: English - Mexico