Aluminium Silicate

Aluminium silicate (or aluminum silicate) may be a pseudonym commonly applied to chemical compounds that are derived from aluminum oxide(Al2O3) and silica (SiO2) which can be anhydrous or hydrated, naturally occurring as minerals or synthetic. This makes out aluminium silicate(Al2SiO5) from Al2O3 & SiO2. The search for white fillers that can replace and compete with titanium dioxide has favored the amorphous aluminium silicates.

Aluminium and sodium silicate is a white-colored amorphous solid, obtained by the reaction of chemical precipitation between sodium silicate and an aluminium salt in an aqueous medium. It is a filler with many different applications, and it is used as a raw material in sectors such as the manufacture of paints, printing inks, the rubber or the paper sector.

What is aluminum silicate used for?

Aluminum silicate (Al2SiO5) is additionally referred to as kaolin, or hydrated aluminum silicate when in powder form. Aluminum silicate is a mixture of alumina, silica, and oxygen. Kaolin is often used as a demulcent and adsorbent in the pharmaceutical industry. It is used in color lakes (insoluble dyes).

Advantages of aluminium silicate

• the improvement of the optical properties: a higher degree of brightness and opacity,
• cost saving in the paint,
• an improvement of the rheological behavior of the paint thanks to its greater stability during storage, on regulating the pH, maintaining a constant viscosity and acting as an anti-sedimenting agent, and
• an improvement of the properties of the paint applied on conferring greater resistance to wash and friction and less tendency to fouling.