Section
| HS Code | 653817 |
| Product Name | Silibase DFM-AF05 Waterborne Self-Dispersing Silicone Antifoam |
| Appearance | Milky white liquid |
| Solid Content | 30% |
| Viscosity At 25c | 1000-3000 mPa·s |
| Ph Value | 6.0-8.0 |
| Specific Gravity At 25c | 1.00-1.05 |
| Ionic Character | Nonionic |
| Water Dispersibility | Self-dispersing in water |
| Silicone Type | Polydimethylsiloxane-based |
| Defoaming Performance | Rapid foam knockdown and sustained foam suppression |
| Shelf Life | 12 months from date of manufacture |
| Recommended Storage Temperature | 5-35°C |
As an accredited Silibase DFM-AF05 Waterborne Self-Dispersing Silicone Antifoam factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.
| Packing | Supplied in 25 kg drums: Silibase DFM-AF05 Waterborne Self-Dispersing Silicone Antifoam, ready-to-use emulsion for efficient foam control. |
| Container Loading (20′ FCL) | 20′ FCL: loaded palletized drums/IBCs of Silibase DFM-AF05 antifoam, secured, labeled, and containerized for safe sea transport. |
| Shipping | Silibase DFM-AF05 ships in sealed drums or totes to prevent contamination. Store at 5–35°C, avoiding freezing and direct sunlight. Classified non-hazardous for transport; keep containers upright and secured during transit, with adequate ventilation to prevent pressure buildup. |
| Storage | Store in tightly sealed original containers in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area, protected from direct sunlight and extreme temperatures. Avoid freezing, as ice can disrupt the emulsion. Keep away from heat sources and incompatible chemicals. Under proper conditions, shelf life is typically 12 months from manufacture date. |
| Shelf Life | Shelf life is 12 months from manufacture if stored unopened in original container at 5–35°C; protect from freezing. |
Foam stabilization in low-VOC waterborne architectural coatings is most frequently observed after coalescent reduction because solvent-free or near-solvent-free high-Tg acrylic binders generate a higher concentration of low-molecular-weight surface-active species at the air/liquid interface. Silibase DFM-AF05 is introduced at 0.05–0.30% by total wet formulation mass; when foam is generated by cellulose ether thickeners in both the pigment grind and let-down stages, the same total addition may be split at a ratio of 30:70 between grind charge and let-down. The grind is dispersed in a high-speed disperser equipped with a Cowles blade at a tip speed of 15–18 m/s for 15–25 min, with product temperature held at 30–45°C; the antifoam is added after approximately 5 min of binder/pigment wetting so that hydrophobic silica is not coated by binder before air release. For low-VOC matte and silk interior wall paints, the formulation is governed by Directive 2004/42/EC Annex IIA Category A/a and A/b limits of 30 g/L and 100 g/L VOC, respectively, and the finished film is assessed for visual compatibility by ISO 2813:2014 at 60° geometry and for contrast ratio by ISO 6504-3:2019 on a 200 µm bar drawdown. Production-scale field failures in 10,000 L let-down tanks include persistent microfoam rings at the shaft after 45 min of low-speed stirring, which can be reversed by increasing the dose within the specified range rather than by extending mixing time. Over-addition above 0.50% on total formulation creates cratering and intercoat adhesion loss, particularly when the over-coated substrate is an alkyd enamel; therefore, a laboratory ladder at 0.05%, 0.15%, 0.25% and 0.35% is recommended for each binder/thickener combination. Terminal products include interior matte emulsion wall paints, waterborne silk enamels for wood trim, and high-extension exterior masonry coatings for mineral substrates.
In water-based flexographic and gravure ink plants, foam entrainment at the ink return line produces pinholing, ghosting in 1% tonal areas, and viscosity fluctuation in the auxiliary tank; Silibase DFM-AF05 is metered into the let-down stage or at the press return sump at 0.10–0.30% of the finished liquid ink mass, and dynamic foam in high-speed gravure units may require the upper limit when cylinder speed exceeds 400 m/min. The addition point is normally after pigment dispersion and resin let-down, with the ink maintained at 20–35°C and stirred at 800–1,200 rpm for 10–20 min; it is not recommended for addition during bead-mill pigment grinding because the high mechanical shear may split the emulsion and leave oil droplets on the dried film. Packaging inks used on food-contact surfaces are formulated within the Framework Regulation (EC) 1935/2004 and, where a functional barrier is not present, the migration provisions of Regulation (EU) 10/2011 Annex II are applied; for non-food graphic applications, REACH Annex XVII restrictions and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive 94/62/EC Article 11 concentration limits for heavy metals define the compliance boundary. On press, microfoam in waterborne acrylic resin systems is observed as a stable head of fine bubbles in enclosed doctor blade chambers, and the antifoam should be micro-dosed through a peristaltic metering pump to avoid flooding the ink sump; a practical observation from narrow-web flexo lines is that an initial dose at 0.15% followed by continuous addition of 20% of that amount by slip-stream eliminates overnight shift variation. Terminal products include surface-printed corrugated board, paper and poly-coated paper sacks, and self-adhesive label face stocks printed with waterborne flexo or gravure inks.
Waterborne pressure-sensitive and lamination adhesive compounding differs from paint mixing because the rheology is pseudoplastic and the polymer dispersion already contains a high surfactant load; therefore, Silibase DFM-AF05 is added at 0.03–0.15% of wet adhesive mass only after the latex has cooled to below 40°C. The mixing vessel is typically an anchor-stirred reactor or a stainless steel blend tank with a speed of 60–100 rpm for 15–30 min; higher speeds or direct injection into a progressing cavity pump recirculation loop can produce invisible oil slicks that later appear as label transfer defects on PET facestocks. Adhesives intended for food packaging under 21 CFR 175.105 and 21 CFR 175.125 must be formulated with components that do not exceed the extraction and migration restrictions specified in the respective sections; paper-to-paper and carton-side seam adhesives may also reference 21 CFR 176.170 for aqueous and fatty food contact and 21 CFR 176.180 for dry food. Where the adhesive is used in a laminate for flexible food contact, compliance with Regulation (EU) 10/2011 may require verification of overall migration at the intended temperature and time conditions. A process-limiting incompatibility exists with amino silane adhesion promoters, which can coalesce the silicone emulsion and form gel specks on the roller coater; in such formulations, the antifoam must be added to the dispersion before the silane and the open time shortened. Peel adhesion is measured on the final laminate according to ASTM D903-22, and published data for this specific grade in optically clear film-attached applications is limited; therefore, a 180° peel check on the target facestock at the intended coat weight is required before full-scale batch release. Terminal products include waterborne paper label pressure-sensitive adhesives, aqueous carton-seam adhesives, and laminating adhesives for dry-bond flexible packaging.
Coating colour used in blade and curtain coating of paper and paperboard is a high-solids suspension of calcium carbonate or kaolin, styrene-butadiene latex, starch, cobinders, and water retention agents; foam in this stream is generated at the coating kitchen screen, in the machine tank, and at the blade during recirculation. Silibase DFM-AF05 is introduced at 0.05–0.25% based on total wet coating mass, and the preferred addition point is after starch cooking and after the latex has been mixed but before the colour is transferred to the coating head, so that air is not mechanically re-entrained in the high-pressure pump. Typical coating colour solids are 55–65%, Brookfield viscosity at 100 rpm is 800–2,000 mPa·s, and colour temperature during addition is 25–40°C; the antifoam should not be added to dry pigment before starch because unhydrated starch and hydrophobic silica compete for water and the resulting lumps produce blade streaks. For paper and paperboard intended for food contact, the formulation is assessed under 21 CFR 176.170 and 21 CFR 176.180, and the coating must not transfer substances to food above the regulatory extraction limits; EU member states may additionally apply BfR Recommendation XXXVI for paper and board for food contact. In production-scale trials on a 1,200 m/min offline blade coater, the visible defect known as pinhole spray in the infrared drying hood was eliminated only when the antifoam dose was split at 60:40 between the machine tank and the return trough; a single-point addition at the same total dose left burst bubbles in the first dryer section. Overdosage above 0.40% on wet coating weight can reduce gloss development of blade-coated art paper and increase the Cobb value, which is evaluated by ISO 535:2014. Terminal products include coated folding boxboard, art paper, thermal paper face stock after pre-coating, and label base paper for waterborne release coatings.
In waterborne textile pigment printing, the paste is formulated with acrylic or butadiene-acrylic binders, urea or glycerol humectants, synthetic thickeners, and pigment dispersions; air entrainment in a print paste with a viscosity of 15,000–40,000 mPa·s produces a rough surface and reduced color yield on rotary screens. Silibase DFM-AF05 is added at 0.10–0.30% of total paste mass during the final let-down, after the synthetic thickener has fully swollen, and the paste is stirred at 200–400 rpm for 10–20 min in a planetary mixer; high shear above 1,000 rpm during the addition can create an over-defoamed paste with poor screen release. The compliance boundary includes OEKO-TEX Standard 100 Annex 4 limits for residues on finished textiles, ZDHC MRSL v3.1 Level 2 restrictions for textile auxiliaries, and where organic fiber certification is involved, GOTS 7.0 criteria for chemical inputs; because the antifoam is a silicone emulsion, the mill should verify that the final fabric meets the individual RSL limits for D5/D6 cyclic siloxanes if the downstream brand specifies such a limit. On a flatbed carousel, the common production stop is caused by foam accumulation at the paste feed bar, which reduces paste pickup and leaves a print with lower color strength in the second half of the run; dosing at the upper end of the range has been observed to maintain paste density within ±0.02 g/cm³ of the initial value when measured by ISO 2811-1:2023 after 8 h of continuous printing. Fabric hydrophilicity is checked by AATCC 79-2018; overdoses above 0.50% can increase wetting time for untreated cotton and should be avoided where the printed fabric will later be dyed or finished with a hydrophilic softener. The terminal products are printed apparel fabrics, home textile panels, and pigment-printed nonwoven wipes.
Waterborne direct-to-metal primers and topcoats formulated with self-crosslinking acrylic emulsions or waterborne alkyds show a different foam problem: macrofoam is less visible in low-shear mixing but microfoam is generated during pump recirculation and may remain in the wet film after airless spray. Silibase DFM-AF05 is introduced at 0.10–0.50% of total formulation mass, with the lower end used for high-gloss topcoats and the upper end for matte primers; the addition point is during the final viscosity adjustment, after dispersion and neutralization, because early addition in the ammonia-neutralizing stage shortens the amine residence time and may reduce pH control. The coating is typically produced in a high-shear dissolver at 10–15 m/s tip speed for pigment dispersion, then the antifoam is mixed at 500–800 rpm for 15–30 min; for factory lines using air-assisted airless spray, the application viscosity is often 30–60 s DIN 4 mm at 20°C, and the wet film is inspected for pinhole defects after flash-off. Compliance for waterborne anticorrosive coatings is managed through VOC and hazardous substance regulations rather than a single food-contact standard: Directive 2004/42/EC for DTM coatings in industrial maintenance, REACH Annex XVII applicable entries, and the CLP Regulation (EC) 1272/2008 for hazard classification; corrosion resistance of the applied system is validated by ISO 12944-6:2018, and film blister defects are evaluated by ASTM D714-21. A critical operational boundary is that this silicone emulsion must never be introduced into electrodeposition coating baths; even shared piping or feed pumps can contaminate the E-coat bath and produce craters in the cured electrocoat film. Terminal products include waterborne direct-to-metal primers, low-VOC machinery enamels, and agricultural equipment topcoats.
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Silibase DFM-AF05 Waterborne Self-Dispersing Silicone Antifoam is a nonionic foam-control agent formulated for direct incorporation into aqueous polymer dispersions, water-reducible coatings, printing inks, and adhesive systems. The active chemistry combines a dimethylpolysiloxane carrier, dispersed hydrophobized fumed silica, and a silicone-polyether self-dispersing segment. This structure permits dilution with water under low-shear paddle agitation without the external ethoxylated surfactant packages required in conventional silicone emulsion antifoams. The supplier-reported non-volatile content is 20 ±1% by mass when determined by ISO 3251, and the material is supplied as an opaque liquid with a Brookfield viscosity of 1000–3000 mPa·s at 25 °C.
In waterborne architectural coatings and industrial lacquers, the product is typically post-added during letdown at 0.05–0.4% by total formulation mass. The lower end of the range is suitable for low-surfactant clear wood coatings, while the upper end may be required for high-surfactant styrene-acrylic or vinyl-acetate-ethylene binders. Direct addition into a low-shear mixing vessel is possible; high-shear predispersion is not required because the self-dispersing silicone-polyether fraction forms a fine liquid-in-liquid dispersion upon contact with water. However, addition points with insufficient residence time can leave undispersed silicone-rich pockets that appear as surface defects after application.
Conventional silicone foam-control agents are often prepared as macroemulsions with droplet sizes in the 10–100 µm range; their kinetic stability depends on the integrity of an adsorbed emulsifier layer and on the osmotic balance of the continuous water phase. Under high-shear paint circulation through diaphragm pumps and in-line strainers, the external emulsifier layer can be stripped, permitting coalescence of silicone droplets and subsequent appearance of surface craters in the cured film. A self-dispersing silicone antifoam reduces this failure mode because the silicone-polyether segment remains anchored to the siloxane phase and does not exist as a separate micellar reservoir in the bulk latex. The spreading and bridging mechanism of the polydimethylsiloxane carrier is typically described by the spreading coefficient E = γf − γw − γi, where negative spreading against foam lamellae is required to destabilize the bubble film. Hydrophobized silica particles act as solid breakers that enter the foam lamella and initiate hole nucleation; this process depends on the contact angle at the oil-water interface, which for silica-filled silicone antifoams generally exceeds 90° after in-situ hydrophobization.
For polymer emulsions containing anionic surfactants, the addition of a conventional alcohol ethoxylate or ether-sulfate emulsifier package can increase foaming tendency after thermal aging. The silicone-polyether self-dispersing group in DFM-AF05 is chemically integrated and therefore introduces less free surfactant into waterborne binders. This reduces secondary foam generation in airless spray application and limits interference with recoatability in furniture coatings. Comparative sparge-test data for this specific formulation are limited; users should validate knockdown and persistence according to ASTM D3601 using the target binder system and the intended defoamer addition point. Batch-to-batch variance in pigment dispersants, coalescing solvents, and pH buffers can shift the effective dose by 0.05–0.1%, so a laboratory ladder test is required before first production use.
| Property | Test Method | Typical Value |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance | Visual inspection | White to off-white opaque liquid |
| Non-volatile content | ISO 3251 | 20 ±1% by mass |
| pH as supplied | ISO 976 | 6.0–8.0 |
| Brookfield viscosity | ISO 2555 / ASTM D2196 | 1000–3000 mPa·s at 25 °C |
| Density | ISO 2811-1 | 1.00–1.03 g/cm³ at 20 °C |
| Ionic character | Supplier specification | Nonionic |
| Dispersibility in water | Supplier dilution protocol | Self-dispersing, no visible separation after 24 h at 25 °C |
The values in the property envelope are supplier-reported typical data and are not batch-certification limits. Viscosity is shear-rate dependent; the reported Brookfield data are obtained with a rotating spindle at low shear, and the material may show slight non-Newtonian behavior when measured at spindle speeds above 60 rpm. Storage in closed HDPE containers at 5–35 °C is recommended. Exposure to freeze-thaw cycling below 0 °C can produce partially coalesced droplets; recovery requires low-shear rehomogenization at 10–20 °C rather than direct high-shear dispersion. Drums that have been stored under high ambient humidity should not be decanted without agitation, because headspace condensation can form a water-rich upper layer that skews the local active content.
In waterborne wood lacquers and architectural coatings, the product is typically post-added during the letdown stage. Lower levels below 0.05% may be insufficient in styrene-acrylic paints containing 1.5–3.0% of sodium lauryl sulfate or alkylphenol ethoxylate pigment dispersants, while levels above 0.4% can reduce intercoat adhesion on sealed alkyd substrates. Defoamer efficacy is not governed solely by dosage; the addition point must allow sufficient residence time under low-shear agitation to distribute the dispersed droplets before packaging. Splitting the dose between mill base and letdown frequently improves overall process stability, but the split ratio requires empirical confirmation because pigment volume concentration and dispersant type create formulation-specific foam loads.
In high-speed dispersion of inorganic pigment pastes, the mechanical energy input from a Cowles disperser at tip speeds of 8–12 m/s can destroy conventional emulsions and generate new foam nuclei from surfactant-rich mill bases. DFM-AF05 is often introduced in two portions: 50% of the target dose at the mill base stage and 50% during letdown. This split addition reduces air entrainment during dispersion and retains defoaming activity during filling and application. The exact split must be optimized for pigment volume concentration, dispersant type, and temperature rise in the mill base; no universal ratio is appropriate for all formulations.
In clear waterborne polyurethane wood coatings, haze after forced drying at 60 °C is measured by ASTM D523, and cratering is evaluated by ASTM D4062 on sealed panels. Production trials with airless spray equipment operating at 120–180 bar have shown that predilution of DFM-AF05 with deionized water at 1:3 by volume before addition to clearcoats reduces visible craters at equivalent defoamer dosage. However, predilution water quality must be controlled; hard water containing dissolved calcium and magnesium above 150 mg/L as CaCO₃ may interact with anionic binder components and alter film clarity. Published production-scale data for this specific configuration are limited, and panel validation under the target spray pressure and film build is required.
In pigment concentrates based on acrylic block-copolymer dispersants, the silicone-polyether carrier can compete weakly for pigment adsorption sites. At addition levels above 0.3% based on pigment paste mass, color acceptance under ASTM D5326 may require extension of the rub-out time by 30–60 s. This effect is less pronounced than with conventional silicone emulsions because the free surfactant content is lower, but it remains measurable in carbon black and phthalocyanine blue concentrates. When color strength loss exceeds 5% in tinted systems, the defoamer addition point should be moved from the grind phase to the letdown phase, or the dosage should be reduced while accepting a longer deaeration time.
Because the product is nonionic, it is commonly considered compatible with anionic and nonionic latexes. Cationic binders containing quaternary ammonium moieties can nonetheless induce local hetero-coagulation of silicone droplets, especially at pH below 4.0. In cationically stabilized waterborne epoxy systems, the addition of DFM-AF05 above 0.2% may produce microscopic oil-like specks after 48 h storage at 50 °C. This limitation is not specific to this product but reflects the ionic mismatch between amphiphilic silicone structures and protonated amino-functional binder surfaces. Users evaluating cationically stabilized formulations should first dilute the antifoam to 1:10 with the binder’s own aqueous phase and observe for coagulum after 24 h under static conditions.
Low-VOC architectural formulations contain higher coalescing solvent fractions and pH buffering agents such as ammonia or 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol. DFM-AF05 does not rely on amine-neutralized surfactant thickeners and therefore does not contribute to pH drift under alkaline conditions. In high-gloss waterborne enamels formulated below 50 g/L VOC, retained amine can elevate the foam stabilization of low-molecular-weight dispersants; defoamer demand may increase to 0.5% while the margin for cratering narrows. A stepwise ladder test from 0.1% to 0.5% in 0.1% increments is recommended, with gloss retention measured by ASTM D523 and surface defects by ASTM D4062.
In aqueous flexographic and gravure ink circulation on press lines, foam can alter ink transfer and produce pinholes at anilox roll speeds above 250 m/min. DFM-AF05 has been evaluated in water-based flexo ink circulation with an in-line surge tank and diaphragm return pump. The self-dispersing grade showed less accumulator tank foam after 8 h of continuous recirculation than an equal active content conventional silicone emulsion. Validation followed ISO 2836 for print density and ISO 8791-4 for surface roughness of coated board. Published data for this specific configuration are limited, and press-side trials should include the same ink batch without defoamer, with DFM-AF05, and with the incumbent antifoam under identical pump stroke rate and temperature.
For wastewater foam control in aeration basins and membrane bioreactor feed channels, silicone antifoams are typically dose-controlled by foam sensor, with addition rates in the 2–20 ppm range based on influent flow. The self-dispersing behavior of DFM-AF05 permits direct metering into a turbulent flow zone without a high-shear mixer. In activated sludge systems with a mixed liquor suspended solids concentration above 8 g/L, partitioning of the silicone onto biological flocs may reduce defoaming persistence. Operators should verify oxygen transfer efficiency according to ISO 8192 and filtrate surface tension before routine use. The product contains no intentionally added APEO surfactants, but regulatory compliance for indirect food-contact packaging applications should be confirmed against 21 CFR 176.170 and 21 CFR 175.300 with the raw material manufacturer before use in food-contact laminates or can coatings.
