Usages of Carbon Blacks

Essentially, carbon black is the soot that results from the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbon materials, i.e., gas and oils. This definition does not pay tribute however to the high degree of development and control in use today in most industrial processes. The uses and the basic production principles of carbon black are lost in antiquity, but the development of controlled fabrication processes dates back to the previous century, resulting nowadays in highly sophisticated technologies with the capability to produce very fine and structurally complex materials, in accordance with the most recent standards of quality. 

As we will briefly see below, the term carbon blacks covers a very broad range of filler materials, with numerous applications, as outlined in Table 4.1. Except elastomer reinforcement, printing inks and several uses in the electrical industry, most application concern relatively low fraction of carbon black, typically below 5% volume. 

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In terms of consumption, the most significant usage of carbon blacks is rubber reinforcement. This effect was discovered in the early years of the twentieth century and played an essential role in the development of tire technology and consequently in the automotive industry. As we shall see later, there are still some unknown aspects of carbon black reinforcement... 

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