Continued Studies of the Effects of Metallic Pigment Dispersions on the Physical Properties of Thermoplastics

摘要

Metallic pigments continue to serve an important part in the coloration and function of thermoplastics. In particular, aluminum flake pigments play a prominent role in expanding plastics markets such as automotive, electronics, and appliances. The use of in-mold and in- process coloration for paint replacement is growing as result of market drivers that require low volatile organic content (VOC) coloration, lower process costs, and reduced manufacturing times. As the amount of plastic used for high-profile applications increases, the need for physical property trends becomes more useful. Impact strength and tensile properties of polymers play an important part of material selection, and the addition of colorants and additives affect those properties. Previous studies involving aluminum flake-pigmented polycarbonate (PC) and acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate (ASA) noted the effect of carrier types, flake particle size, geometries, and concentration levels on impact and tensile properties. As a result, physical property trends for additional polymer types are of interest.