aqueous dispersions

The process of surface modification of hydrophobic organic pigments (copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) and carbon black) as well as a hydrophilic inorganic pigment (titanium dioxide) in aqueous dispersions by employing tailor-made thermo-responsive copolymers, and the colloidal stability have been studied. The pigment surface modification is achieved by conventional adsorption and by (thermo)precipitation of amphiphilic methyl vinyl ether (MVE) containing polyvinylether block and PMVE graft copolymers with poly(ethylene oxide) side chains exhibiting a lower critical solution temperature (LCST).

The course and the result of the surface modification of titanium dioxide and ferrous oxide pigments in aqueous dispersion by ethylhydroxyethylcellulose (EHEC) without and with mechanical treatment of the dispersion by ultrasonic power was studied by the electrokinetic sonic amplitude (ESA) method. The evaluation of the ESA data showed that the ultrasonic treatment causes a significant thickness increase of the EHEC layer on the pigment which is primarily attributed to the ultrasonically induced activation of the pigment surface.