What Is Carbon Black?

Carbon Black Carbon black is composed of fine particles consisting mainly of carbon. Various features of carbon black are controlled in production by partially combusting oil or gases. Carbon black is widely used in various applications from black coloring pigment of newspaper inks to electric conductive agent of high-technology materials. Soot, which is similar to carbon black, was used for writing letters on papyrus in ancient Egypt and on bamboo strips in ancient China. Carbon black production became a type of cottage industry about the time when the paper production method was established in the second century. It then became widely used in industries after it was produced with the channel process in 1892 and with the oil furnace method in 1947. A large amount of carbon black is used mainly in tires as excellent rubber reinforcement. Carbon black is also an excellent coloring agent as black pigment, and therefore is widely used for printing inks, resin coloring, paints, and toners. Furthermore, carbon black is used in various other applications as an electric conductive agent, including antistatic films, fibers, and floppy disks.

Three Main Properties of Carbon Black

Electron microscope image of carbon black Electron microscope image of carbon black Observing carbon black particles under the electron microscope shows that they have a complicated structure, with some spheric particles being fused together. The size of spheric particles is called "particle size," and the size of the particle chain is called "structure." Various functional groups such as the hydroxyl or carboxyl group are found in the surface of carbon black, and their amount or composition is called "surface chemistry." These three - "particle size," "structure," and "surface chemistry" - are the basic properties of carbon black, and together are called the three main characteristics. The three main properties have a large effect on practical properties such as blackness and dispersibility when they are mixed with inks, paints, or resins.

Particle Size

The diameter of spheric particles is the fundamental property which largely affects blackness and dispersibility when carbon black is mixed with resins or other vehicles. In general, the smaller the particle size is, the higher the blackness of carbon black becomes.Dispersion, however, becomes difficult due to an increase in coagulation force. Structure Like particle size, the size of the structure also affects the blackness and dispersibility of carbon black. Generally, the increase of structure size improves dispersibility but lowers blackness. Carbon black with a larger structure in particular shows an excellent conductive property. Surface Chemistry Various functional groups exist on carbon blacks surface. The affinity of carbon black with inks or paint varnishes changes depending on the type and amount of the functional groups. Carbon black, with a large amount of hydroxyl group given with oxidation treatment, has a greatly enhanced affinity to print inks or varnishes, showing an excellent dispersibility.

Manufacturing Process of Carbon Black

Carbon black is produced with the thermal decomposition method or the partial combustion method using hydrocarbons such as oil or natural gas as raw material. The characteristics of carbon black vary depending on manufacturing process, and therefore carbon black is classified by manufacturing process. Carbon black produced with the furnace process, which is the most commonly used method now, is called furnace black, distinguishing it from carbon black, which is manufactured with other processes. Furnace Black Process This method forms carbon black by blowing petroleum oil or coal oil as raw material (feedstock oil) into hightemperature gases to combust them partially. This method is suitable for mass production due to its high yield, and allows wide control over its properties such as particle size or structure. This is currently the most common method used for manufacturing carbon black for various applications from rubber reinforcement to coloring. Channel Process This method forms carbon black by bringing partially combusted fuel, which is generated with natural gas as raw material, into contact with channel steel (H-shaped steel) and then collecting the carbon black which results. There are yield and environment issues around this method, and therefore has lost the leading role as the mass production process to the furnace process. This method, however, provides carbon black with many functional groups on the surface, being used in some painting applications. Acetylene Black Process This process obtains carbon black by thermally decomposing acetylene gas. It provides carbon black with higher structures and higher crystallinity, and is mainly used for electric conductive agents. Lampblack Process This method obtains carbon black by collecting soot from fumes generated by burning oils or pine wood. This method has been used since the days before Christ, and is not suitable for mass production. However, it is used as raw material for ink sticks as it provides carbon black with specific color.

Application Examples of Carbon Black

Carbon black is a basic material with a long history, and it has been used as a coloring agent since the days before Christ. Since carbon black has nano-particles with various functions such as ultra-violet absorption and conductivity, it is still being applied to new fields such as electronic equipment and devices. Some applications of carbon black, which is a conventional yet new material, are shown below. 1 ) Coloring Agent for Ink and Paints Carbon black has higher tinting strength compared to iron black or organic pigments, and is widely used for newspaper inks, printing inks, India inks, and paints. Carbon black is also used as black pigment for inkjet ink or toners. 2 ) Resin and Film Coloring Agents Carbon black has high tinting strength and is thermally stable, and therefore it is suitable for coloring resins and films that are heat-formed. Carbon black is also excellent for absorbing ultraviolet light, providing both a superb resistance against ultraviolet rays and a coloring effect when just a small amount is mixed with resins. Carbon black is widely used for general coloring for resins and films. Resins with carbon black are used in automobile bumpers, wire coverings and steel pipe linings which require weather resistance in particular. 3 ) Electric Conductive Agent Carbon black particles have the graphite-type crystalline structure, providing an excellent electric conductivity. Therefore, carbon black is widely used as conductive filler, being mixed in plastics, elastomer, paints, adhesives, films, and pastes. Fuel caps and fuel-introducing pipes of automobiles, for example, are required of electric conductivity for preventing static. Therefore, carbon black is used as an excellent antistatic agent. 4 ) Electronic Equipment Related Material Carbon black also provides stable resistance, and therefore is used as electronic equipment related material in various display components, magnetic recording materials, and OA rolls. Furthermore, Mitsubishi Chemical has been developing carbon black with various combined functions for special applications.