Carbon black has been used since ancient times in China and Egypt, yet today it remains a high-tech material worthy of scientific interest. This is due to the numerous ways it can be engineered to serve as an essential component in a variety of everyday products – from paint and textiles to tires, power cables and batteries.

To explore both the fundamentals and the latest innovations, Orion S.A. scientists have authored a new resource: “Carbon Black” in the Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Technology Online, available via the Wiley Online Library.

The 104-page article is the most current and comprehensive reference about carbon black. It covers the material’s history, morphology and production processes. It also presents recent technical findings on sustainability, rubber reinforcement, coloristic properties, electrical conductivity and structure breakdown. (For more details, see a summary on Orion’s website here.)

“Many of the products we take for granted would not be possible without carbon black – one of the most ubiquitous materials in modern life,” said Natalia Scherbakoff, chief technology officer at Orion. “We continue to discover new ways to use carbon black to improve the products we rely upon every day.”

The article’s authors include: