The cross-border integration of new materials and technologies is accelerating the reshuffle of the ceramics industry. To survive and develop tailored products, ceramic manufacturers must prioritize quality. Ceramic quality is closely linked to auxiliary agents, and among various water reducers, Chuandong Chemical's ceramic-grade sodium tripolyphosphate plays a pivotal role in enhancing the quality of ceramic slurries, glazes, and other key production processes.

In the ceramics industry, spray drying is the conventional method for powder preparation. Powders produced via this process exhibit excellent fluidity, meeting the requirements of assembly-line production and enabling the pressing of high-strength green bodies. However, spray drying is an energy-intensive process. Statistics show that the average moisture content of slurry entering the drying tower is approximately 40%, while that of the powder exiting the tower is only about 7%—meaning around 33% of water is evaporated. This evaporation accounts for roughly 13% of the total energy consumption in production. Therefore, there is a pressing demand to minimize the moisture content of slurry fed into the spray drying tower while maintaining superior fluidity, a goal that can be achieved effectively with the application of high-performance water reducers.

In China’s ceramics sector, inorganic salts such as sodium silicate, sodium carbonate, and sodium tripolyphosphate are widely used as water reducers. Conventional ceramic water reducers, however, have limited dispersing capabilities due to constraints in molecular structure and relative molecular mass. Moreover, over-dosing often leads to adverse side effects.

Currently, sodium tripolyphosphate stands out as a high-performance water reducer with substantial market demand in the ceramics field. Its mechanism of action is as follows: it complexes with divalent ions (e.g., calcium and magnesium ions) in clay slurries and undergoes cation exchange, allowing more sodium ions to adsorb onto the clay surface. The displaced calcium and magnesium ions then form soluble complexes through chelation with polyphosphate radicals, which enhances the steric hindrance effect. This enables clay to achieve higher fluidity with less water and ensures uniform dispersion.

Ceramic powder dispersed in water aggregates to form particle clusters in the slurry. When sodium tripolyphosphate water reducer is added, its molecules adsorb onto the surface of ceramic particles in the slurry. Through adsorption interactions, the flocculated structure between particles is disrupted, yielding a slurry with excellent dispersibility and fluidity. Additionally, sodium ions reduce the number of molecules in the hydration layer, thereby releasing excess adsorbed water and increasing the content of free water in the slurry—ultimately achieving the water-reducing effect.

After decades of continuous research and development, sodium tripolyphosphate has achieved mature application in the ceramics industry. It effectively improves the fluidity of slurries and glazes for both architectural and sanitary ceramics, minimizing slurry moisture content while optimizing fluidity, preventing flocculation and sedimentation, and facilitating smooth production operations.

Chuandong Chemical Group has specifically developed ceramic-grade sodium tripolyphosphate tailored to the ceramics industry, which adheres to over 20 internal control standards. This product plays a critical role in supporting and advancing the sustainable development of the ceramics industry. For further details, please contact the customer service team of Chuandong Chemical Group.