Additionally, the Ningbo process significantly reduces the residual, water-soluble salt content of the pigments, making them suitable for use in corrosion-resistant coatings.
Expanding the color space of iron oxide red pigments
LANXESS continues to invest in the development of innovative red pigments, its goal being to steadily expand the color space while at the same time achieving improved pigment characteristics. “We still haven’t exhausted the color potential of iron oxide red pigments,” says chemist Christine Kathrein, head of product development in Product and Business Development at IPG. “For example, by fine-tuning the parameters of the manufacturing process, we can positively influence the chromaticity of the pigments, which is affected by factors such as particle size and shape, porosity, doping and particle size distribution,” she explains. Another critical aspect for improving color characteristics is having a thorough understanding of how the individual pigment properties influence their interaction with visible light. “Superior colors are obtained by balancing the individual parameters during synthesis and processing. Based on our experimental results and theoretical calculations, we are optimistic that we will be able to expand the current color limits of iron oxide red pigments in the near future,” says Kathrein.
