text: the compositions of the present invention comprise water , a silicone resin and a hydrophobically modified copolymer . the hydrophobically modified copolymer has the extremely beneficial property of causing the normally immiscible water and silicone resin to form a stable dispersion . the addition of a catalyst to the composition can significantly reduce curing times and improve the quality of the coating obtained . moreover , optional additives , such as gelling control agents , particle - size reducing agents , thickening agents , surface - modifying compounds , wetting agents , and anticorrosion agents , may be added to the composition to add various properties to the composition useful for a particular application without adversely affecting the stability of the composition . significantly , stable dispersions can be achieved using less intense stirring than that required in the prior art . the silicone resins used in this invention should preferably contain chemical groups which can be hydrolyzed to silanols . commercial silicone products suitable for use as a resin typically contain functional groups such as ch 3 o --, c 2 h 5 o --, ch 3 coo --, ci --, nh 2 --, nc --, ocn --, scn --, or h -- connected directly to the silicone atom . these materials hydrolyze to silanol in the presence of water , and condense to form siloxane networks after the water is evaporated . the choice of a resin type depends upon the specific application . for mold release , methyl silicone resins ( such as methoxy resin gr - 654s and ethoxy resin gr - 650s from techneglas inc ., perrysburg , ohio ) are preferred . the optimum amount of the resin is also application - dependant . generally , small amounts should be used for surface applications , whereas larger amounts are necessary for bulk uses . for mold release applications , broadly stated , the silicone resin should be present in the range of about 0 . 05 % to about 60 % by weight of the composition . preferably , it should be present within the range of about 0 . 6 % to about 20 % by weight of the composition , with the best results being obtained when the silicone resin is present within the range of about 0 . 7 % to about 5 % by weight of the composition . the dispersion stabilizer used in this invention should be a type of hydrophobically modified polycarboxylic acid copolymer . suitable copolymers for this purpose include , for example , pemulen ® 1621 , 1622 , 1623 and tr - 1 , tr - 2 ; carbopol ® 1342 , 1382 from b . f . goodrich , cleveland , ohio , rheolate ® 5000 from rheox inc ., heightstown , n . j ., and other products with similar compositions or structure . these copolymers are previously described , for example , in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 915 , 921 , 4 , 421 , 901 , 4 , 509 , 949 , 4 , 923 , 940 , 4 , 996 , 274 and 5 , 004 , 598 , and typically have been used as thickening agents , primarily in the cosmetic industry . pemulen ® 1622 and tr - 2 are preferred for use in this invention . broadly stated , the polycarboxylic acid copolymer stabilizer should be present in a concentration of up to about 6 % by weight of the composition . concentrations higher than 6 % of the copolymer are achievable but do not appear to provide any further benefit to the stability of the dispersion formed . preferably , the amount of the copolymer should be within the range of about 0 . 04 % to about 0 . 6 % by weight . the best results are obtained when the copolymer stabilizer is present within the range of about 0 . 08 % to about 0 . 2 % by weight of the composition . generally , distilled water is preferred for use in these compositions . regular tap water may , however , also be used provided that a slightly higher amount of the dispersion stabilizer is used . the metal ions typically present in tap water may actually contribute positively to the curing of the silicone resin . the catalyst used in this invention can be any one , or a combination , of the following materials : alkaline substances such as triethanolamine , potassium hydroxide , and sodium hydroxide ; salts and metal driers containing cations such as li + , na + , co + , nh 4 + , zn ++ , mg ++ , ca ++ , fe ++++ , pb ++ , and sn ++ ; and anionic surfactants such as potassium stearate , sodium benzoate , and zinc oleate . all these substances , acting in conjunction with the dispersion stabilizer , operate to provide faster curing times , as long as they are not added in an amount that destabilizes the dispersion . monovalent compounds are preferred for use in this invention . broadly stated , the catalyst should be present in a concentration of up to about 2 % by weight of the composition . higher concentrations may be used but do not provide any advantage . the gelling control agent used in the compositions should be alkaline in nature . it increases both the gelling and the ph of the composition , and greatly reduces the amount of hydrophobically modified copolymer required to form a stable dispersion . moreover , use of a gelling control agent can produce low viscosity ( less than 100 cps ) compositions previously achievable only through use of high kinetic energy devices . the gelling control agent also contributes to the fast cure of the silicone resin and acts as an anticorrosion agent when the composition is applied to a metal substrate . the gelling control agent can be any one , or a combination , of the following materials : inorganic alkali bases such as sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide and ammonium hydroxide ; and alkaline organic substances such as triethanolamine , tetrahydroxypropylethylenediamine , aminomethylpropanol , trimethamine , beta - alanine and lysine . broadly stated , the gelling control agent should be present in the composition in a concentration of up to about 12 % by weight of the composition . higher concentrations of the gelling control agent may be achieved but do not confer any benefit . preferably , the alkaline gelling control agent should be present in the composition within the range of about 0 . 02 % to about 8 % by weight , and is present in an amount sufficient to increase the ph of the composition to about 4 or higher . best results are obtained when the gelling control agent is present in the composition within the range of about 0 . 08 % to about 0 . 4 % by weight , and in an amount sufficient to raise the ph to between 7 and 9 . the particle - size reducing agent used in this invention can be any one , or a combination , of the following conventional surfactants : anionic , nonionic , cationic or amphoteric . these agents help stabilize the composition by reducing the size of the particles or droplets in the composition . nonionic and anionic surfactants are preferred for use in this invention . suitable examples include : nonylphenoxypoly ( ethylenoxy ) ethanol , such as igepal ® co - 530 ( rhone poulenc inc ., cranbury , n . j . ); alkylpoly ( ethylenoxy ) ethanol , such as brij ® 76 ( ici , inc . wilmington , del . ); soaps , such as sodium stearate and potassium stearate . broadly stated , the particle - size reducing agent should be present in a concentration of up to approximately 10 % by weight of the composition . it is preferred that nonionic and anionic surfactants be present in a 1 to 1 ration by weight to the dispersion stabilizer . cationic or amphoteric surfactants should be present in an amount that does not disrupt the gelling of the composition . other additives may be present in the composition , if desired , depending on properties are preferred for a particular application . examples include : wetting agents such as dupont ( wilmington , del .) zonyl ® fsn 100 , union carbide ( danbury , conn .) silwet ® l - 77 , 3m , inc . ( st . paul , minn .) fluorad ™ fc - 171 ; surface - modifying compounds such as dow corning ® 1 - 9770 , byk ® chemie usa ( walligford , conn .) byk ®- 330 , hydrocarbon compounds , dupont krytox ® gpl - 107 , and other fluorocarbon compounds ; anticorrosion agents such as amines , nitrites and phosphates ; other resins such as polyesters and polyacrylates ; biocides ; and thickening agents such as carboxymethylcellulose , hydroxyethylcellulose , polysaccharides , bentone clay , silica , polyox , polyacrylic acid and its derivatives such as b . g . goodrich &# 39 ; s carbopol ® series . these additives can be added in large amounts , but should usually not be present in amounts that will disrupt the gelling or the stability of these compositions . the optimum amount of a particular additive depends upon the specific characteristics of that additive and the application . - we have found , for example , that up to approximately 6 % by weight of a thickening agent , up to approximately 5 % of a surface - modifying compound , up to about 0 . 2 % by weight of an anticorrosion agent , and up to approximately 1 % of a wetting agent may be added without disrupting the stability of the composition . the process for producing the above - described composition comprises the steps : ( 1 ) mixing the silicone resin , dispersion stabilizer , and all other oil - soluble ingredients , while stirring and , if necessary , heating ; ( 2 ) gradually adding water ( or water containing water soluble ingredients ) to the mixture formed in step 1 , while stirring and , if necessary , heating ; and ( 3 ) adjusting the gelling and ph to the desired degree by the addition of the gelling control agent . alternatively , the composition can be made by gradually adding the dispersion stabilizer ( predispersed in the resin along with all other oil - soluble ingredients ) into the water phase , and adjusting the gelling and ph afterwards . the composition can also be made by dispersing the resin and oil - soluble ingredients into the aqueous gel solution ( preformed by slowly sifting the copolymer stabilizer powder into the stirred water phase ), and by adjusting the gelling and ph afterwards . in all methods , the dispersion of the copolymer stabilizer and the development of gelling are critical ; care must be taken to avoid lumps or heterogenous swelling . for surface applications , the compositions can be applied to substrates by ordinary coating methods , such as spraying , brushing , wiping , dipping , soaking . for bulk applications , the compositions can be poured , or otherwise introduced , into the space or interstices desired to be filled . the compositions of this invention can be applied to various surfaces , including metals , ceramics , glass , wood , brick and certain plastics . the compositions can also be incorporated as a matrix material for composites , or as a binder for paints . in order to further illustrate the invention , the following examples are provided . the examples are included for illustration and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention . an aqueous composition , comprising 88 % by weight of gr - 654s silicone resin ( made by techneglas inc ., perryville , ohio ), 2 % by weight of pemulen ® 1622 ( made by bf goodrich , inc ., cleveland , ohio ) and 10 % by weight of distilled water , was prepared by mixing the resin and the dispersion stabilizer , and then adding the water to the mixture while stirring . the dispersion produced is stable and easy to dilute . an aqueous composition of 1 . 25 % by weight of gr 654s silicone resin , 0 . 04 % by weight of pemulen ® 1622 , about 0 . 13 % by weight of triethanolamine 85 from dow chemical co . ( midland , mich . ), 0 . 04 % by weight of igepal ® co - 520 ( from rhone poulenc inc ., cranbury , n . j . ), 0 . 008 % by weight of dow corning ® 1 - 9770 , and 0 . 008 % by weight of wetting agent zonyl ® fsn 100 , and the balance approximately 98 . 5 % by weight of water . this dispersion was stable for more than four months at room temperature and for more than 40 hours at 60 ° c . an aqueous composition comprising 2 . 5 % by weight of gr - 654s , 0 . 08 % by weight of pemulen ® 1622 , 0 . 08 % by weight of igepal ® co - 520 , 0 . 015 % by weight of dow corning ® 1 - 9770 , 0 . 015 % by weight of zonyl ® fsn 100 , about 0 . 25 % by weight of triethanolamine 85 , and the balance approximately 96 . 8 % by weight of distilled water was prepared by first mixing the components ( other than water and triethanolamine 85 ) in the order listed above , then gradually adding water to the mixture , and adjusting the ph to 8 . 5 by adding triethanolamine 85 while stirring . the dispersion made was stable and curable after storage for more than four months at room temperature . it also passed more than three cycles of freeze - thaw tests without separation . it was stable and curable after more than 40 hours at 60 ° c . the composition of example 3 was applied ( 10 mils thick ) to r - 46 steel plates ( q - panel , cleveland , ohio ), using a # 24 draw - down applicator ( paul n . gardner co ., pompano beach , fla . ), and cured for 30 minutes at 180 ° c . in an oven . the coating formed was smooth , uniform and slippery , and stuck to the substrate very well . it had a hardness of about h according to the astm pencil hardness test d - 3363 - 74 ( reapproved 1980 ). the coating withstood heating to 180 ° c . for more than a week and continued to harden without cracking or degradation . in comparison , solutions of ( 1 ) 2 . 5 % by weight of gr - 654s in methanol , or ( 2 ) a 2 . 5 % by weight of gr - 654s in 0 . 08 % by weight of pemulen ® 1622 produced a hardness of less than 6b under the same test conditions . aqueous compositions similar to the composition described in example 3 were prepared and tested . these compositions utilized the same formula set forth in example 3 except that ( 1 ) 0 . 1 % by weight of pemulen ® 1622 was substituted for 0 . 08 % by weight of pemulen ® 1622 , and ( 2 ) 0 . 1 % by weight of the following salts , kh 2 po 4 , na 2 hpo 4 , na 3 po 4 , naoocch ( oh ) ch ( oh ) coona , c 6 h 5 coona , kbro 3 , nab 4 o 7 , ( nh 4 ) 2 co 3 and sodium silicate , was added . these compositions had similar or faster curing rates and had better corrosion resistance that the compositions in example 3 an aqueous composition similar to compositions in example 4 , but using 0 . 1 % by weight of nano 2 as the salt , was prepared and tested as above . this composition had performance better than that of the composition in example 3 in terms of curing rate and corrosion resistance . it cured to about h hardness in 12 minutes at 140 ° c . the coating formed lasted for more than one week at 280 ° c . while the coating formed in example 3 degraded under the same test conditions . an aqueous composition similar to the composition in example 5 , but using gr - 650s instead of gr - 654s , was prepared and tested as above . this composition gave performance similar to that of the composition in example 5 . moreover , the performance of this composition was better than that of nix stir ® l - 529ar and l - 609ar ( made by dwight products , inc ., lyndhurst , n . j . ), both of which are gr - 650s resin dispersions stabilized with conventional surfactants , in terms of dispersion stability , curing rate , corrosion resistance and coating formability . while it is apparent that the preferred embodiments of the invention disclosed are well calculated to fulfill the objectives , benefits , and advantages of the invention , it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification , variation and change without departing from the proper scope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims .