You must have already had to seal a box or a sink, if not, you must have at least bought the famous acetic silicone. Am I right?
Acetic silicone sealant is one of the most used sealants in Brazilian civil construction and it is no wonder. This sealant has great versatility of application, but also some limitations.
Do you want to know EVERYTHING about acetic silicone sealant and not make mistakes when choosing the right silicone? So come with me, I'll show you everything about this product!
As the acetic silicone sealant is one of the most used sealants in our market, I believe that it is extremely valid to explain what it is.
If you want to know more about it and other sealants, I wrote another article, where I talk about all the sealants, in addition to pointing out the advantages and disadvantages of using each of them, just click here.
So I'll start the explanation with the basics. Here we are talking about sealant and not an adhesive, so this type of product category will only serve to seal structures and parts, where it is desired that water, air or other liquids do not pass through the structure.
In the case of acetic silicone, it is very common to use it in applications such as sealing a bathroom stall, meeting glass with glass and glass with aluminum. For this reason, acetic silicone is widely used in the glass and window frames segment.
Knowing that I'm talking about a sealant and not an adhesive, so when you see a product with the name of “sealant” don't use it to join two surfaces, such as gluing a mirror to a wall, which is a very common mistake to be seen in the market.
That said, I can move forward in explaining what an acetic silicone sealant is, talking about silicone. Silicone is the chemical base on which the silicone sealant is formulated. There are several other chemical bases that a sealant can be formulated as polymers of polyurethane (pu), acrylic polymers and hybrid polymers.
When choosing the chemical base of the sealant, take into account the type of application and the usage requirements that the medium will apply to the sealant. If you want to choose the correct sealant for your work, see that article here.
This may all seem complicated, but it's not! For this reason, I put together an illustrative image, just below, that summarizes this part very well.
Acetic Silicone Sealant
What does acetic cure mean?
The type of sealant cure is a very important choice when defining the ideal silicone sealant for the site of your work. So, first of all, I will explain what acetic healing is, and then explain its implications for applications.
Silicone sealant is a pasty, high-viscosity material, when it is inside the package, when it comes into contact with moisture in the air, it begins its curing process.
This silicone sealant curing process involves the hydrolysis of the reactive groups at the end of the polymer chains, when the material comes into contact with moisture in the air.
During the curing process of the acetic silicone sealant, a by-product is released, known as acetic acid or the famous, vinegar. Because of this by-product, the healing reaction is known as acetic.
What is Acetic Silicone used for?
The acetic silicone sealant, because of Silanes adhesion promoters generally have excellent adhesion to substrates such as glass and metal surfaces.
It is worth paying attention to when it comes to metal surfaces. This type of surface must be of a material that does not undergo oxidation by acetic acid or that has a finish that is not affected by this by-product of the sealant's curing reaction.
Also because of this fact, it is not recommended to use acetic silicone sealant on cement mortar surfaces, such as grouts or coatings Cementícia in general.
This is because the acetic acid released as a by-product of the reaction will react with the free calcium and magnesium hydroxides in the cement mortar, causing an acid-base reaction in which salt and water will be formed. This salt formed by the reaction, will promote an adhesive failure of the silicone sealant on the applied surface.
Then, for this application on cement surfaces, if the use of silicone sealant is required, choose to use neutral-cure silicone sealant.
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What is the drying time of acetic silicone?
The drying process of a material refers to an issue related to the existence of something that needs to evaporate from the product.
Because of this, in a certain way, it is wrong to talk about the drying time of the silicone sealant, since there is nothing to be evaporated, but rather to be reacted and undergo a curing process.
But in this case, we can discuss another characteristic of sealants in general, which is the skin formation time, that is, when you touch the sealant but it no longer gets your finger dirty.
All sealants that cure by hydrolysis will cure similar to the acetic silicone sealant. This type of curing starts from the part of the material that is in direct contact with air humidity, into the product.
In this way, there is a curing gradient of the product, from the part in contact with the air, to the inside. For this reason, the medium of the material is always the last portion that will cure.
This cure rate, or gradient, varies between air humidity and temperature. The higher they are, the faster the sealant cures.
What is the cure time of acetic silicone?
As I said at the end of the previous topic, the curing time varies depending on the temperature and humidity of the air, or the environment in which the silicone sealant is exposed.
Still, the biggest influence on the curing time of the silicone sealant ends up being the humidity of the medium. We can even say that if there is no humidity in the environment, the sealant will not start the curing process.
But returning to the initial question, the average cure time of a silicone sealant ends up being around 3 and 4 mm every 24 hours. Remember that this rate will always be in the direction of the part where the material is in contact with the air, inwards.
What is the difference between silicone and PU?
Silicone and polyurethane (PU) are two different chemical bases on which sealants can be formulated, just as they can also be formulated based on other polymers such as acrylic and hybrids.
An important distinction is that each of these materials has its advantages and disadvantages, so it is very important to understand the requirements of the places where the chosen sealant will be applied.
Choosing the type of material may be the difference between the success and failure of the application, which may cause pathological manifestations such as efflorescence Or even infiltrations in facades.
What does silicone pu mean?
In a very direct way, silicone pu means nothing. I say this because silicone and pu, as I explained earlier, are the chemical bases that sealants can be formulated with.
There is a very common confusion between the terms silicone and sealant, and sealant is commonly replaced by silicone and raising doubts regarding the material being discussed.
In short, silicone or doesn't exist. What exists is silicone sealant and polyurethane (pu) sealant. First, the category of the product is defined and then the chemical basis of the product.
What is the difference between acetic silicone and neutral silicone?
Acetic silicone sealants and neutral silicone sealant differ, basically, by the type of cure they undergo when in contact with moisture.
The acetic silicone sealant releases the acetic acid during its curing process, generating that characteristic odor of a vinegar.
Neutral silicone sealant, on the other hand, can have two variations, the neutral alcoholic cure sealant, in which methanol is released as a by-product and the other type of cure is the oxymic cure, in which oxime is released from the sealant's curing process.
Is Acetic Silicone Bad for Your Health?
All chemical products have their limitations regarding contact with human beings, so it is always very important to consult the FISPQ of the material that will be used.
That said, a very common question regarding the acetic silicone sealant is whether it is harmful to your health, since its characteristic odor is very strong.
Logically, we cannot assume that inhaling acetic acid for a long period of time is good for your health, but a short exposure will also not harm the health of those who are applying it.
But, once again, it is always recommended to read the FISPQ of the chemical that will be used, prior to applying it.
Summarizing all the information about acetic silicone sealant
In this article, we brought you the main and most important information about the acetic silicone sealant that you will use in your works.
It has been defined what an acetic silicone sealant is, what is meant by acetic cure, as well as its main applications and limitations.
I also explained what drying time, skin formation, and the cure rate of an acetic silicone sealant are.
I explained the difference between silicone and pu, in addition to showing that silicone pu is a term mistakenly used by many professionals.
Finally, I spoke about the exhibition of applicator to the acetic sealant and whether this product carries any type of risk regarding its characteristic odor of acetic acid.
If you made it this far in our article, I believe that there must be some doubts that have arisen during this reading. Then, leave your comment below and I, personally, will answer each of the questions and doubts posed below.
Remember, our commitment is to you, a construction professional, who is always looking for new information to improve yourself and become part of the elite of Brazilian construction professionals. Count on me and on Blok, for any challenge.
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