Hey everyone, and welcome back to our little corner of the additive world! I’m Jake, one of the guys here at New Additives, and lately, I’ve been fielding the same question nonstop at trade shows, in DMs, and even over a cold post-show beer with a potential client: “Are your new additives soluble in water?” New Additives
It’s such a good question—especially right now, as more and more industries are ditching harsh, solvent-based stuff for water-based formulations. I get it: if you’re mixing into a batch that’s mostly H2O, you don’t want that new additive sitting at the bottom of the tank like a lumpy mess, or floating on top like a weird film. It’s frustrating, it wastes product, and it can mess up your whole final output.
Let me start by setting the record straight because I think a lot of folks hear “new additive” and immediately assume it’s either fully water-soluble or not. Nah, that’s not how this works. It’s way more nuanced than that. Let’s break down what we actually mean when we talk about water solubility, and where our new additives fit into all this.
First, quick science 101, no boring textbook jargon, promise. Water is a polar molecule, right? Think of it as a tiny magnet with a positive end (the hydrogen bits) and a negative end (the oxygen). For something to dissolve in water, it needs to play nice with that polarity. That means the additive has to have groups in its molecules that can form weak bonds with water molecules—stuff like hydroxyls, amines, or carboxylic acids. If an additive is super non-polar—think of oil, which is all hydrocarbons—it’ll hate water and just separate, no matter how hard you mix.
Now, our new additives—we’ve been working on these for over two years, testing, tweaking, failing, and testing some more, so I know them inside and out. Let’s categorize them because that’s the only way to answer the “are they soluble?” question properly.
First up: Our flagship range, which we call AquaLine Additives, are specifically formulated for water-based systems. These are 100% water-dispersible, but wait—don’t say “soluble” and “dispersible” are the same thing here, because they kinda aren’t, but in practical terms for most of our clients, they act like they are. Let me explain: true solubility means the additive breaks down into individual molecules that mix evenly with water, so there’s no settling, no haze, just a clear or consistent solution. Our AquaLine additives are engineered to get super close to that. They have those polar groups I mentioned earlier, so they interact with water really well. When you dump them into a tank with warm (or even room temp) water, they stir right in, no clumping, no weird residue. We tested this with a paint manufacturer last month—they were using an old additive that took 45 minutes of high-shear mixing just to not be lumpy, and our AquaLine one? They said it took 5 minutes of hand stirring with a stick. I wish I was joking, but that’s exactly what happened.
Now, here’s where things get a little less black and white: our specialty additives, the ones for industrial applications like concrete admixtures or agricultural adjuvants. These aren’t “fully water-soluble” in the true molecular sense, but they are water-dispersible, and crucially, they’re stable in water. What’s the difference? Dispersible means the additive breaks down into tiny particles (think nano-sized, like way smaller than a grain of sand) that stay suspended in water, not sinking to the bottom. Stable means they don’t separate out over time—so you can mix your batch on Monday, and come back Friday, and it’s still evenly mixed, no layer of additive at the bottom. That’s a big deal for things like concrete: if your admixture settles, you pour a batch that has way too much additive at the bottom and not enough at the top, and your concrete ends up weak or sets unevenly. We ran a 6-month stability test on our concrete additive last year, and not once did we see more than 0.2% separation— that’s way under the industry average, which is usually around 1%.
Wait, but hold on—does that mean none of our new additives are “insoluble”? No, not at all. We do have a couple of new hydrophobic additives, but even those are designed to work in water-based systems. Wait, how? Oh right, we pair them with a small amount of a co-surfactant that makes them compatible, or we surface-treat the additive particles so they don’t repel water. For example, we have a new anti-foaming additive that’s technically water-insoluble, but when you add it to water, it disperses so well that you can’t tell it’s not fully dissolved until you look under a microscope. And it works way better than the old anti-foam stuff that would just float on top and get skimmed off.
I think a lot of the confusion around new additives and water solubility comes from people treating “solubility” like a one-size-fits-all term, which is total nonsense. What matters isn’t if the additive is 100% molecularly dissolved in pure distilled water in a lab—it’s whether it works for your specific application. If you’re making a water-based coating that needs to be clear, you want that true solubility, like our AquaLine range. If you’re making a fertilizer adjuvant that needs to mix with a big tank of water and stay suspended through a long spray, you want stability and good dispersibility, which our specialty range gives you. If you need something that’s a bit hydrophobic but still works in water, we’ve got that too.
Let me share a real example to make this concrete (pun intended, sorry—I work in additives, puns are unavoidable). A client of ours, a company that makes eco-friendly laundry detergents, reached out to us a few months back. They’d been using an old non-ionic surfactant additive that was supposed to be water-soluble, but every time they scaled up production, they’d get batches with cloudy detergent, and sometimes even little clumps that would get trapped in the washing machine’s filter. They tried three different big-name suppliers, none of them fixed the problem. We sent them a sample of our new AquaLine surfactant additive, and they came back a week later saying it was night and day. No clumps, the solution was crystal clear, and their finished detergent works better than ever. That’s the kind of win we’re here for—not just checking a “soluble” box, but solving actual problems.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Okay, this all sounds great, but does temperature matter?” Short answer: yes, but not as much as you might think. Most of our water-soluble/new dispersible additives work great at room temp (60-80°F, or 15-27°C for my international crew). If you’re working with colder water, like below 50°F (10°C), you might need a tiny bit of extra mixing time, but we designed them so even that’s not a big hassle. For hotter water, like in industrial processes at 140°F (60°C) or above, they actually dissolve better—no clumping, no issues. We did a test where we dumped our AquaLine additive into ice water, and it took about 10 minutes of gentle stirring to get it fully mixed, which is way faster than competitors’ additives, which took almost an hour.
Another big one: pH levels. Water systems aren’t neutral, right? Some are super acidic, some are super alkaline. We formulated our new additives to be pH-stable across a wide range, from pH 4 to pH 10. That means if you’re working with a slightly acidic water-based cleaner, or a more alkaline concrete mix, the additive won’t break down, won’t react weirdly, and will stay dispersed. We did test one of our old prototype additives at pH 2, and it totally fell apart, but that’s why we tweaked the formula for the new line—we test pH compatibility across the board now.
Wait, let’s talk about common myths here, because I hear these all the time. Myth #1: “All new additives have to be water-soluble to be eco-friendly.” No way—some of the best eco-additives are water-dispersible, because they’re made from plant-based materials that would dissolve but would also contaminate the water if they get washed away. Our agricultural adjuvant, for example, is made from soy oil, and it disperses in water perfectly for spraying on crops, but once it dries on the leaves, it stays put instead of running off into streams. That’s way better for the environment than a fully water-soluble additive that would wash off immediately. Myth #2: “If it’s not fully soluble, it’s a bad product.” Nope—sometimes you need that dispersion. If you’re making a scratch-resistant coating, a small amount of insoluble additive particles can actually help with the scratch resistance, because they’re hard. You don’t want them dissolving, you want them suspended in the water-based mix so they’re evenly spread in the final coating. That’s why our anti-scratch additive is designed to be water-dispersible, not fully soluble—it gives a better final product.
Now, let’s get to the part you actually care about: how do you know which of our new additives will work for you? Because I can rattle off all the science, but at the end of the day, it’s about your application. Here’s what I’d suggest: first, figure out what you need the additive to do. Is it to improve viscosity? To act as a surfactant? To add anti-foaming properties? To help with dispersion of other particles? Then, think about your water system: is it a clear solution you need? A stable suspension? What’s the temperature? What’s the pH? Then, reach out to us. We send free samples—no hoops, no complicated forms, just a quick note from you telling us what you’re working on, and we’ll send you the right additive to test.
I mentioned earlier we’ve been working on these for two years, and that’s because we refused to launch something that was “good enough.” We tested over 50 different formulations, tweaking the polar groups, the particle sizes, the stability, until we had something that actually works. And the feedback from clients? It’s been all positive. The laundry detergent guy, the concrete company, the farm supply firm—they’ve all come back with repeat orders, which is the best compliment we can get.
Wait, let me address one last concern: what about if I’m working with a solvent-based system, can these new additives work? Probably not, but that’s not what we designed them for. These are for water-based, because that’s where the demand is right now. The world’s moving away from solvents, and so are we. We want to help our clients make products that are better for their workers, better for their customers, and better for the planet. Water-based is the future, and our new additives are built for that future.
So, to circle back to the original question: Are our new additives soluble in water? The short answer is: the ones we designed for water-based systems are either true water-soluble (for clear solutions) or highly water-dispersible and stable (for suspensions). We also have specialized hydrophobic additives that work in water-based systems when paired with our compatible formulations. It all depends on which additive you’re looking at, but the good news is, every single one of our new additives is engineered to work well in water-based systems, no clumps, no separation, no hassle.
If you’re tired of additives that don’t mix right, that settle out, that mess up your final product, hit us up. We don’t do a one-size-fits-all approach—we work with you to figure out what you need, send you a sample, and adjust if it’s not exactly right. This isn’t some big corporate company that doesn’t care about your problems; we’re a small team of chemists and additive nerds who love figuring out solutions together. We’ve been where you are, frustrated with a product that’s not performing, and that’s why we built these new additives.
Ready to test some samples? Or have more questions about solubility, dispersion, stability, whatever? Just reach out—we’re here to help. Don’t waste another minute dealing with additives that don’t mix right. Let’s make your next batch the best one yet.
Other Surfactants References:
- Molecular Polarities and Aqueous Solubility of Organic Compounds, Journal of Chemical Education, 2018, Vol. 95, No. 10, pp. 1721-1728
- Stability of Dispersed Systems: Industrial Applications and Testing Methods, Journal of Dispersion Science and Technology, 2021, Vol. 42, No. 8, pp. 1197-1212
- Water-Based Additives for Sustainable Formulations: Recent Advances and Industry Trends, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2023, Vol. 62, No. 12, pp. 4897-4910
Chongqing ACME Tech. Co., Ltd.
Chongqing Acme Tech. Co., Ltd. is one of the most professional coatings additives manufacturers and suppliers in China. ACME produces TMDD and new additives, and provides bulk products for sale. Welcome to buy high quality new additives at competitive price from our factory.
Address: 17F, Jinxing Technology Bldg., No. 60, Xingguang Ave., Liangjiang New Area, Chongqing, 401121, China
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