It is made of refined cotton after alkali treatment, in the presence of acetone, using ethylene oxide as etherifying agent. The degree of substitution is generally 1.5~2.0. It has strong hydrophilicity and is easy to absorb moisture.
1. Hydroxyethylcellulose is soluble in cold water, but it is difficult to dissolve in hot water. The solution is stable at high temperature and does not have gel property. It can be used for a long time in mortar at medium and high temperature, but its water retention is lower than that of methyl cellulose.
2. Hydroxyethylcellulose is stable to general acids and bases. Alkali can accelerate its dissolution and slightly improve its viscosity. Its dispersibility in water is slightly worse than that of methyl cellulose and hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose.
3. Hydroxyethyl cellulose has good performance in mortar sagging resistance, but it has a long retarding time for cement.
4. The performance of hydroxyethyl cellulose produced by some domestic enterprises is significantly lower than that of methyl cellulose due to its high water content and high ash content.
