Efficient and sustainable catalysts and adhesion promoters.

Tyzor® organic titanates and zirconates are efficient and sustainable catalysts and adhesion promoters.

Organic titanates and zirconates.

Tyzor® are organic titanates and zirconates, produced by the company Dorf Ketal  and distributed in Italy by Garzanti Specialties. They fulfil the role of catalysts, adhesion promoters and cross-linking agents in various types of resins, such as polyolefins, polyurethanes, epoxies, phenolics and silicones.

They are available in a wide range for both solvent- and water- based systems. The Tyzor® product line includes alkoxides and titanium or zirconium chelates.

How to choose the most suitable product

The choice of the most suitable Tyzor® product depends on the type of system, process and end-use requirements. In general, alkoxides are more reactive than chelates. When high stability is required in a reactive polymer or coating formulation, or in the presence of water, chelates are generally preferred.

Esterifications

Tyzor® is particularly effective in esterifications and transesterifications because the catalysis gives a high conversion rate, high yield and very few side or undesirable reactions with a very low odour and colour formation. This results in high purity esters for use in the most sophisticated of applications.

Through the use of Tyzor® catalysts, esters can be produced from carboxylic acids and secondary alcohols with very low formation of olefins, unlike catalysis using conventional acids, which produces olefins in considerable quantities.

Tyzor® titanates are particularly useful for reactions involving unsaturated reagents and amino alcohols, as well as being condensation catalysts in the production of polyesters and catalysts for aldol condensations.

In esterifications, organic titanates often impart higher reaction speeds and better yields than conventional acid catalysts. Another major advantage of using Tyzor® is the quality of the excess alcohol recovered. When using traditional acid catalysts, alcohol degradation often occurs during the reaction, but with the use of titanates, there is no degradation, thus allowing the recovered alcohols to be recycled.

Tyzor® catalysts can also be used as an alternative to organotin compounds which has the toxic implications of the tin.

Titanates therefore offer the following advantages:

• They are non-toxic
• Residues can be removed
• The catalyst residue after removal is non-toxic
• They have high conversion rates and shorter cycle times
• Low formation of by-products
• Low formation of odour and colour

Adhesion promoters

Dorf Ketal Tyzor® organic titanates and zirconates are excellent adhesion promoters for various substrates and coatings such as:

• Paints and coatings
• Printing ink
• Sealants and adhesives
• Metal coating / corrosion protection
• Enamels
• Reinforced plastics (glass fibres, natural fibres)
• Mineral-filled composites
• Glass treatments (Flat glass, hollow glass)

Tyzor® organic titanates and zirconates are suitable for cross- linking reactions due to their high reactivity and bond-forming capacity. They interact with common functional groups (e.g. -OH, – COOH, SiOH, etc.) to form stable covalent and coordinated bonds between functionalised polymers and/or substrates.

Substrates that do not contain such functional groups (e.g. many plastics) can be pre-treated by corona, flame or plasma.

The high reactivity of titanates and zirconates allows interaction and attachment to a wide range of substrates and polymers, including those with low reactivity.

Tyzor® organic titanates and zirconates can be used as adhesion promoters in a variety of ways:

• By forming a bridge between substrate and polymer
• As cross-linking polymers
• Catalysing cross-linking
• By creating a thin metal oxide layer or a reactive intermediate layer
• Increasing the surface tension of the substrate
• By improving the reactivity of other adhesion promoters (e.g. in combination with organofunctional silanes)

Garzanti Specialties’ experience in the distribution of titanates and zirconates

The potential uses of Tyzor® organic titanates and zirconates are endless, as are the opportunities to expand their use in innovative applications and formulations.

Garzanti Specialties Spa, has been successfully distributing Tyzor® products for several decades and is responsible for importing and storing most of the grades at its warehouses in Caronno Pertusella. Garzanti Specialties is on hand to provide samples, guidelines, case histories, technical-commercial and regulatory support.