As a non-ionic surfactant, hydroxyethyl cellulose has the following properties in addition to thickening, suspending, bonding, emulsifying, film-forming, dispersing and retaining water and providing protective film:

1. HEC is soluble in hot or cold water, and does not precipitate under high temperature or boiling, so that it has a wide range of solubility and viscosity characteristics, that is, non-thermal gelation.

2. It is non-ionic and can coexist with a wide range of other water-soluble polymers, surfactants, and salts. It is an excellent colloidal thickener containing high-concentration electrolyte solutions.

3. The water retention capacity is twice as high as that of methyl cellulose, and it has better flow regulation.

4. Compared with the recognized methylcellulose and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, the dispersion ability of HEC is poor, but it has strong protective colloid ability.