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Elastic Bonding of Construction Materials

Silane Modified Polymers for Sealants
and Adhesives in the Highest Quality
 CREATING TOMORROW’S SOLUTIONS

NEW DIMENSIONS FOR

ADHESIVES AND SEALANTS

What if you could formulate your sealants and adhesives with a wide adhesion spectrum – without the use of conventional
plasticizers? Sounds interesting? Then we recommend GENIOSIL® XM. Our new silane-modified polymers allow for a new
formulation strategy for sealants and adhesives:
• GENIOSIL® XM 20 alpha-silane-modified polyethers enable the formulation of plasticizer-free adhesives with extremely
high elasticity and an excellent adhesion profile; ideal for universal adhesives, even for difficult substrates like plastics
or pvc-floorings.
• GENIOSIL® XM 25 gamma-silane-modified polyethers allow the formulation of low-modulus sealants with exceptionally
high elastic recovery that exceed ISO 11600 specifications; ideal for sealants for expansion joints in buildings made of
industrially prefabricated concrete parts and for connection joints.
For more detailled information, please visit www.wacker.com

Wacker Chemie AG, München, Germany, Tel. +49 89 6279-1741

[email protected], www.wacker.com, www.wacker.com/socialmedia
 Title I Elastic Bonding of Construction Materials

Good Adhesion,
Low Modulus New Silane-
Terminated Polymers
To provide building materials with an elastic bond or seal, construction workers need particularly
flexible and elastic sealing compounds.

Lars Zander, Jack Peng

When building components meet, they in- Especially in construction engineering, long as it sticks – so strongly on the joint
evitably form a joint. It is generally sealed joints are often located between compo- edges that these are then damaged.
to keep water, air, dust or other media out. nents with sensitive substrates that are
Here, the difficulty lies in the detail. The prone to crumbling (Fig.1 and 2). Typical Low Modulus – Ideal for Sensitive
gap that needs to be bridged can vary wide- examples include plasters, aerated concrete Substrates
ly, depending on to what extent the com- and external thermal insulation compos-
ponents expand or contract when exposed ite systems. A sealant with high tensile That’s why such cases call for low-modu-
to heat or cold. So, for the joint to remain strength and low elongation poses a prob- lus elastic sealants that require only a lit-
permanently sealed, the sealant must be lem for sensitive substrates. If the joint ex- tle force to stretch or compress. When the
able to accommodate the changes in joint pands, this kind of sealant is unable to strain is removed, they largely return to
dimensions again and again without tear- accommodate the movement adequately. their original form. These types of seal-
ing or detaching from the surface. In the worst case scenario, it pulls – as ants absorb the components’ movements
© Wacker Chemie AG

© Wacker Chemie AG

Fig. 1 > In construction engineering, joints are often found Fig. 2 > When building components meet, they inevitably form a
between components with sensitive substrates that are prone to joint. For the joint to remain permanently sealed, the sealant must be
erode and detach from the surface. able to accommodate the changes in joint dimensions again and again
without tearing or detaching from the surface.

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Title I Elastic Bonding of Construction Materials

© Wacker Chemie AG

© Wacker Chemie AG
Fig. 3 > GENIOSIL® XM 25 yields low-modulus sealants with Fig. 4 > Tests show that GENIOSIL® XM 25 yields low-modulus
exceptionally high elastic recovery. sealants with reliable adhesion to a wide range of substrates.

and thus lessen the strain on the joint Properties

edges. Skin over Time Tensile Strength
In practice, a sealant may also be required min N/mm2
to bond the two substrates together. Ex- 200 2.0
perts refer to this as an adhesive sealant or
elastic adhesive. While such an allrounder 150 1.5
should be capable of transferring forces, it 100 1.0
should also be elastic, so that it can accom-
modate the component’s movement. This 50 0.5
is the case for assembly adhesives, for ex-
0 0.0
ample, which should be strong yet elastic. STP-E STP-E & Competitor STP-E STP-E & Competitor
GENIOSIL® GENIOSIL®
XM25 XM25
Silane-Terminated Polymers
Improved Low Modulus Properties
In construction engineering, workers so Modulus at 100% Elongation Modulus at 100% Elongation
far usually resort to polyurethane or sili- (ISO 7389 A) (ISO 7389 B)
cone products when they need low-modu- N/mm2 N/mm2
lus sealants. Both substance classes have 1.0 1.0
proven their merit in countless applications
0.8 0.8
over decades. Polyurethane sealants can
be painted over and have good mechani- 0.6 0.6
cal properties. Silicone sealants are known
for their excellent aging, weathering and 0.4 0.4
temperature resistance, their high elastic- 0.2 0.2
ity and their low-temperature flexibility.
However, such products also have some 0.0 0.0
STP-E STP-E & Competitor STP-E STP-E & Competitor
drawbacks. Polyurethane sealants of- GENIOSIL® GENIOSIL®
ten contain solvents to allow them to be XM25 XM25
squeezed out of the cartridge better, espe-
cially at low temperatures. Silicones, on the Fig. 5 > Tests show that sealants formulated with GENIOSIL® XM 25 have a longer skin over time
other hand, cannot be overpainted. Inex- (SOT) (Diagram 1) and a lower modulus than comparable products (Diagram 2). This provides
pensive standard formulations can addi- better protection for vulnerable joint faces, for example of prefabricated concrete parts or
window frames.
tionally cause unsightly staining on ab-
sorbent substrates.
These problems do not arise when silane-
terminated polymers are used as binders
for such sealants. However, with conven-
tional silane-terminated polymers, it is 70 percent. Since the introduction of the institute. Only construction sealants that
not easy to produce sealants with a mod- CE marking construction sealants have conform to this standard may bear the CE
ulus of less than 0.4 newton per square to comply with ISO 11600 – a specifica- mark, which is important when market-
millimeter and elastic recovery of over tion that must be certified by an external ing in Europe.

4 adhesion EXTRA
 © Wacker Chemie AG

© Wacker Chemie AG
Fig. 6 > Weathering tests show that sealants based on GENIOSIL® XM Fig. 7 > GENIOSIL® XM 25 was developed for stressed expansion and
25 retain their elasticity for years. The test samples were manufactured connection joints. A typical application are expansion joints in
according to DIN ISO 7389 and were stretched twice their original buildings made of industrially prefabricated concrete parts, which are
length. built in large numbers all over the world.

New Silane-Terminated Polymers: Their molecules, unlike those of conven- (PVC), polystyrene (PS) and cured ethylene
Versatile and Easily Mixable tional silane-terminated polymers, on- propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber.
ly have a silane group at one of the two Here, the substrates were only cleaned in
The new silane-terminated polymers chain ends. The other end is inert to the order to have them dust and oil-free.
GENIOSIL® XM 20 and GENIOSIL® XM 25 crosslinking reaction. As a result, a wide-
meet both requirements and therefore open meshed network with long polymer chain Expansion Joints and Windows
up applications in the adhesives and seal- segments develops. It takes only a little
ants sector that had previously been in- force to deform this. GENIOSIL® XM thus GENIOSIL® XM 25, a gamma-silane-ter-
accessible to silane-crosslinking polymers ensures high elasticity and a low modulus minated polyether, is the binder compo-
The products are suitable as binders for in the cured end products (Fig. 3). nent of choice for formulating low-modu-
one-component adhesives and sealants and So, formulators have the choice: they can lus sealants with exceptionally high elastic
offer many different formulation options. use GENIOSIL® XM as a reactive plasticiz- recovery. If used as a co-binder, the seal-
This versatility stems not only from their er for migration free and high grade for- ants can exceed ISO 11600 specifications
low viscosity, but also from their compat- mulations especially intended for use in for low-modulus sealants. In the laborato-
ibility with all other silane-modified poly- marine or industrial applications. Or they ry, test formulations achieved a modulus
mers from WACKER, with which they can can substitute part of the standard poly- of less than 0.3 newton per square millim-
be blended to the desired ratio. mer with GENIOSIL® XM, in order to mod- eter and a recovery of 80 to 90 percent, de-
Such blends offer scope for tailoring the ify its mechanical properties – a signifi- termined as per ISO 7389 (method B). (Di-
properties of the binder system to the ap- cant advantage when it comes to low mod- agrams 1+2, Fig. 5)
plication. The two new polymers can serve ulus sealants. Possible applications for GENIOSIL® XM
either as the main binder or as a co-bind- GENIOSIL® XM 20 and GENIOSIL® XM 25 25 include sealants for thermally stressed
er. On curing, they are chemically incor- are slightly less polar than traditional si- expansion and connection joints, especial-
porated into the resulting network. Thanks lane-terminated polymers and consequent- ly where vulnerable joint edges need to be
to their low viscosity, GENIOSIL® XM 20 ly feature a broad adhesion spectrum. Fur- protected. A typical application is expan-
and GENIOSIL® XM 25 can be processed thermore, the absence, or reduction, of con- sion joints in buildings made of industrial-
into sealants and adhesives that can be ventional plasticizers has a positive effect ly prefabricated concrete parts, which are
squeezed out of cartridges easily with- on the bonding properties. Formulations al- built in large numbers all over the world
out the need for additional solvent. Com- ways contain bonding agents that compete (Fig. 6 and 7). Low-modulus sealants are
pared to many conventional binders, such with plasticizers for free bonding spaces also needed for connection joints – the
as polyurethanes, the low viscosity is an on the substrate surface. Using GENIOSIL® joints between window frames and walls.
advantage. XM as a reactive plasticizer and reducing The required sealants can be tailor-made
the use of traditional plasticizers can im- with GENIOSIL® XM 25.
High Elasticity, Low Modulus prove the adhesion considerably.
WACKER applications engineers tested Binder for Universally Applicable
Like all silane-terminated polymers mar- the adhesion on various substrates (Fig. Adhesives
keted under the GENIOSIL® brand, the 4). They found that formulations contain-
GENIOSIL® XM grades are silane-termi- ing GENIOSIL® XM 20 and GENIOSIL® GENIOSIL® XM 20 is an alpha-silane-ter-
nated polyethers. As is typical of silanes, XM 25 adhere well not only to concrete, minated polyether. This grade opens the
they cure under the influence of atmos- wood, aluminum and glass, but also to dif- door to plasticizer-free, elastic adhesives
pheric humidity. ficult substrates such as polyvinyl chloride with extremely high elasticity. In the lab-

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Title I Elastic Bonding of Construction Materials

© Wacker Chemie AG

© Wacker Chemie AG
Fig. 8 > Application of a low modulus sealant based on GENIOSIL® Fig. 9 > GENIOSIL® XM 20 is an alpha-silane-terminated polyether
STP-E35 and GENIOSIL® XM 25. These sealants are especially suited for that allows the formulation of plasticizer-free, elastic adhesives with
stressed expansion and connection joints extremely high elasticity. Typical applications include wood-flooring
adhesives and all-round adhesive sealants.

oratory, elongation at break values of over possible that do not require classifica-
700 percent were measured, depending on tion as a hazardous substance. Moreover,
the formulation. The tested adhesive for- GENIOSIL® XM 20 allows the formulation
mulations achieved tensile strengths of up of adhesives that feature a virtually uni- Die Autoren
to 4 newton per square millimeter. Further- versal bonding profile. With this kind of
more, GENIOSIL® XM 20 can extend skin- universal solution, construction workers Dr. Lars Zander
over time, a fact which is particularly bene- are well-prepared for any adhesive sealant ([email protected]) and
ficial for large-scale applications. This pro- task that may arise on the building site. //
vides the user with sufficient tooling time. Jack Peng
GENIOSIL® XM 20 is thus ideal as a binder ([email protected])
component in wood-flooring and assembly are working with Wacker Chemie AG in the
adhesives (Fig. 8). It makes solvent- and division Construction Sealants & Adhesives.
plasticizer-free wood-flooring adhesives

Modulus
The modulus provides information on the stress-strain behavior of a material. To say that a materi-
al has a high modulus basically means that it is rigid. A large amount of force would be needed to
deform it. This would involve a high build-up of mechanical stress. The modulus is determined by IMPRESSUM:
Sonderausgabe 2018 in Kooperation mit Wacker Chemie AG,
means of a tensile tester with the aid of precisely defined, dumbbell-shaped test pieces of the ma- Hanns-Seidel-Platz 4, 81737 München;
terial under examination. In the sealants sector, the modulus is defined as the mechanical stress
Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH,
that builds up in a test piece when it is stretched to twice its length, i.e. by 100 percent. The terms Postfach 1546, 65173 Wiesbaden,
tensile stress value, modulus 100 or just M100 are synonyms. The modulus is measured in new- Amtsgericht Wiesbaden, HRB 9754, USt-ldNr. DE81148419

ton per square millimeter. GESCHÄFTSFÜHRER:

Stefanie Burgmaier I Joachim Krieger I Juliane Ritt

Elastic Recovery CHEFREDAKTEUR: (verantwortlich für den redaktionellen Inhalt)

The elastic recovery provides information about the elasticity of the sealant and about how well it Dr. rer. nat. Hubert Pelc

recovers after prolonged exposure to a tensile force. The test is performed as per ISO 7389, which VERKAUFSLEITUNG: (verantwortlich für den Anzeigenteil)
permits two methods. For method A, a test piece of the sealant under examination is stored for Petra Steinmüller

28 days at room temperature at 50 percent relative humidity, then stretched and relaxed again. In PROJEKTMANAGEMENT:
method B, several further alternating procedures – storage at 70 degrees Celsius in a drying cup- Anja Trabusch

board and immersion in water – follow on from storage as per method A, before the test piece is DRUCK: PRINT PRODUKTION-SERVICE, W. Hiese GmbH,
relaxed. In both cases, the length of the test piece after relaxation is measured. This length is giv- Tilsiter Weg 9, 61273 Wehrheim

en as a percentage of the original length of the test piece. For example, a recovery of 70 percent TITELBILD: © Wacker Chemie AG
(method B) means that, following storage as per method B and relaxation, the test piece regains
70 percent of its original length.

6 adhesion EXTRA