Ether Amine Urea Thickeners for Oxidative Stability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional grease thickeners like lithium and calcium salts of carboxylic acids and sulfonates lack oxidative stability and are no longer viable due to increasing lithium costs, while carboxylic acid soaps and clays provide inadequate longevity and lubricity.
Innovation Solution
Employing ether amines, such as Proxamine® and Tomamines®, reacted with toluene diisocyanate to create urea, urethane, and hybrid thickeners that enhance viscosity and oxidative stability of greases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If lithium and calcium salts of carboxylic acids are used as thickeners, then grease viscosity is increased, but oxidative stability deteriorates and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the chemical composition parameter from traditional lithium/calcium carboxylic acid salts to urea and urethane thickeners derived from polyalkoxy amines and alcohols. This parameter change maintains the desired viscosity while improving oxidative stability, directly resolving the contradiction between viscosity and oxidative stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite thickening systems combining urea and urethane compounds with specific base oils. These composite materials provide both the required viscosity enhancement and superior oxidative stability, overcoming the limitations of single-component traditional thickeners.
2Ease of manufacture
If carboxylic acid soaps are used as thickeners, then grease is formed, but longevity and lubricity are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the chemical structure parameter from carboxylic acid soaps to urea and urethane thickeners. This fundamental parameter change results in greases with extended service life and improved lubricity while maintaining ease of manufacture through straightforward synthesis from available chemicals.
3Quantity of substance
If clays are used as thickeners, then viscosity is increased, but lubricity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the thickener chemistry from inorganic clays to organic urea and urethane compounds. This parameter change enables the grease to achieve both high viscosity and excellent lubricity, eliminating the harmful effect of poor lubrication that occurs with clay thickeners.
4Quantity of substance
If lithium costs increase due to battery demand, then grease manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces expensive lithium salts with more economically available urea and urethane thickeners. This substitution maintains the required viscosity performance while significantly reducing manufacturing cost, making grease production viable despite rising lithium prices driven by battery demand.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Resulting in longer-lasting greases with improved lubricity and a wider range of viscosities, surpassing the performance of carboxylic acid soaps and clays.
Implementation Method 1
Employing ether amines, such as Proxamine® and Tomamines®, reacted with toluene diisocyanate to create urea, urethane, and hybrid thickeners
Implementation Method 2
lithium and calcium salts of carboxylic acids and sulfonates lack the oxidative stability of ureas
Data Source
AI summary
A family of ether amines that uses alkoxylates allows for the easy adjustment of rheology of greases while providing enhanced durability over the present grease thickeners.