Titanium dioxide pigment, fiber

Precipitated silicas (or silicates) are added to pulp used in the manufacture of paper. In high-quality papers the silica can act as a partial, lower-cost substitute for titanium dioxide pigment. In thinner newsprint, which often uses recycled fibers, silica prevents bleeding and strike-through of the printing ink. 

Other materials coated in this manner were clays, asbestos fibers, aluminum flake pigment, iron powder, and a titanium dioxide pigment which showed tenfold improvement in photodurability in an organic polymer. By using mordants, the individual fibers in cotton and nylon fabrics were coated with silica which amounted to over 5% by weight. 

Use. Titanium dioxide is mainly used in the production of paints and lacquers (55—60%), plastics (15—20%), and paper ( 15%). Other apphcations include the pigmentation of printing inks, mbber, textiles (qv), leather, synthetic fibers, ceramics, white cement, and cosmetics. 

The second goal was that the company should seek to be the lowest-cost producer in the more mature businesses. These include oil and gas exploration and production, coal production, commodity fibers and plastics, automotive finishes, plastic films, and titanium dioxide white pigment. Extensive process and productivity improvements have been achieved. 

Titanium dioxide is widely used in the production of plastics, enamels, artificial fibers, electronic materials, and rubber (Hadjiivanov and Klissur-ski, 1996). Its ability to photocatalyze the oxidation of organic materials has been known for years in the paint industry. For this reason, TiOz is used as a white paint pigment (Stafford et al., 1996). TiOz is also known as an excellent catalyst for semiconductor photocatalysis due to its nonselectivity for environmental engineering applications it is nontoxic, insoluble,... 

The polymerized product is an extremely insoluble material and must be melt-spun, as discussed later. Therefore, should a delustered or precolored fiber be desired, it is necessary to add the titanium dioxide or colored pigment to the polymerization batch prior to solidification. For ease of handling, the batch of nylon polymer may be extruded from the autoclave to form a thin ribbon, which is easily broken down into chips after rapid cooling. But, whenever possible, the liquid polymer is pumped directly to the fiber melt spinning operation (see Fig. 12.14). 

---