PIGMENTS | BLACK AND WHITE
Jetness and blue undertone characteristics of Cabot’s latest black masterbatches compared to existing grades from the company and competitors Source: Cabot Corp
Conductive options At Orion Engineered Carbons, Jennifer Stroh, Director of Sales and Marketing Americas, says recent growth in smart phones, electric vehicles (EV) and consumer electronics has increased demand for lightweight thermoplastic conductive compounds for electrostatic discharge (ESD) applications, electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio-frequency interference (RFI) shielding. “Orion Engineered Carbons has been a leader in developing conductive carbon black pigments to meet the needs of this ever-increasing land- scape,” she says. “We have several initiatives in conductive polymers at various customer accounts related to wire and cable and associated conduc- tive polymer applications.” Orion Technical Market Manager for Polymer
Applications, Vasanth Narayanan says that while most carbon black pigments increase electrical conductivity in thermoplastics, “a true conductive
carbon black pigment is a material that imparts conductivity at reduced loading levels, while maintaining the flowability and mechanical properties.” Narayanan adds that recent studies carried out by Orion’s technical team in PP and PC polymers showed that conductive carbon black pigments such as Orion Printex XE 2B and Printex kappa 70 can be used at significantly lower loading levels than standard carbon black pigments traditionally used for coloration and UV light damage protec- tion applications. “The key to the development of true conductive carbon black pigments for polymer applications is the ability to engineer these pigments with very high surface area and structure/ network,” he says. Among the latest developments is Printex
Kappa 70. According to Scott Brewer, Orion NA Polymers Technical Manager, it offers better flow properties than some other carbon black pigments offered for the same end use applications. “The selection of suitable conductive carbon black pigments is essential for our customers to extrude the end products without generating parts with defects,” he says. Orion claims that Printex kappa 70 has also been shown to outperform some other carbon black pigments tested in terms of minimising negative effects on the end part impact properties.
Recycling routes There are also moves in the world of recycled carbon black (rCB) produced from pyrolysis of old tyres. Some of these moves have been backward – an early entry into the supply side, Pyrolyx, was declared insolvent at the end of 2020 – and some forward. US-based Bolder Industries, for example, says it has been experiencing “exponential” growth in 2021 despite the logistical and supply issues
Comparison of flow properties of Orion’s latest Printex kappa 70 carbon black pigment against other carbon black pigments Source: Orion Engineered Carbons
22 COMPOUNDING WORLD | November 2021
Comparison of the effect of a range of blacks and loadings on impact strength Source: Orion Engineered Carbons
www.compoundingworld.com
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