A good conductor of electricity, carbon black is used as a filler mixed in plastics, elastomer, films, adhesives, and paints. Carbon black has been used in various applications for electronics. The high tinting strength and stability of carbon black has also provided use in coloring of resins and films. Carbon black particles are also employed in some radar absorbent materials, in photocopier and laser printer toner, and in other inks and paints. Ĭarbon black is added to polypropylene because it absorbs ultraviolet radiation, which otherwise causes the material to degrade. The remaining 10% use of carbon black comes from pigment in inks, coatings, and plastics, as well as being used as a conductive additive in lithium-ion batteries. About 20% of world production goes into belts, hoses, and other non-tire rubber goods. Its low cost makes it a common addition to cathodes and anodes and is considered a safe replacement to lithium metal in lithium-ion batteries. Carbon black also helps conduct heat away from the tread and belt area of the tire, reducing thermal damage and increasing tire life. The most common use (70%) of carbon black is as a pigment and reinforcing phase in automobile tires. Short-term exposure to high concentrations of carbon black dust may produce discomfort to the upper respiratory tract through mechanical irritation. The current International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) evaluation is that, 'Carbon black is possibly carcinogenic to humans ( Group 2B)'. It is used in the EU as a food colorant when produced from vegetable matter (E153). Carbon black is used as a colorant and reinforcing filler in tires and other rubber products pigment and wear protection additive in plastics, paints, and ink pigment. However, carbon black can be used as a model compound for diesel soot to better understand how diesel soot behaves under various reaction conditions as carbon black and diesel soot have some similar properties such as particle sizes, densities, and copolymer adsorption abilities that contribute to them having similar behaviours under various reactions such as oxidation experiments. It is dissimilar to soot in its much higher surface-area-to-volume ratio and significantly lower (negligible and non-bioavailable) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) content.

Carbon black is a form of paracrystalline carbon that has a high surface-area-to-volume ratio, albeit lower than that of activated carbon. Chemical compound Worker at carbon black plant 1942.Ĭarbon black (subtypes are acetylene black, channel black, furnace black, lamp black and thermal black) is a material produced by the incomplete combustion of coal and coal tar, vegetable matter, or petroleum products, including fuel oil, fluid catalytic cracking tar, and ethylene cracking in a limited supply of air.

White carbon black