Precipitated Silica Used In Ink Industry

Precipitated silica is a synthetically produced amorphous silica, manufactured through a chemical reaction between sodium silicate (water glass) and an inorganic acid (such as sulfuric acid), forming a silicic acid precipitate, which is then processed through filtration, washing, drying, and pulverization. Compared to fumed silica, precipitated silica has the advantages of lower cost, higher oil absorption value, and stronger thickening properties, making it very suitable for large-scale industrial applications.

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Our company applies a patent of precipitated silica in ink,the patent certificate is as below:

Main Functions And Roles In Inks:

1. Thickening And Thixotropy Control (Core Function)

1) Preventing sedimentation: In inks (especially those with high pigment content, such as screen printing inks), silica can form a three-dimensional network structure, greatly improving the thixotropy of the system. When at rest, the network structure locks the liquid and pigment particles, preventing sedimentation and agglomeration of pigments and fillers; when subjected to shear (such as stirring or printing), the structure is temporarily destroyed, the ink becomes thinner, and the fluidity improves. Once the shear stops, the structure quickly recovers, preventing sagging and bleeding.

2) Controlling leveling: Helps the ink to quickly set after printing, maintaining good dot definition and avoiding excessive leveling that causes blurred prints.

2. Matting Effect

By controlling the particle size and porosity of the silica, a fine roughness can be created on the ink surface, scattering light, thus achieving a matting or semi-matting effect, commonly used in matte inks.

3. Reinforcement And Wear Resistance

As nano/micron-sized particles, it can be uniformly dispersed in the ink film, providing a certain reinforcing effect and improving the wear resistance, scratch resistance, and mechanical strength of the ink film.

4. Improving Anti-Blocking Properties

In film printing (such as plastic surface printing inks), adding silica can form micro-protrusions on the surface of the ink film, reducing the direct contact area between the films, thereby improving the anti-blocking performance when printed materials are stacked.

5. Dispersion Aid

In the pigment preparation process, it can be used as a carrier or dispersion aid to help pigments disperse and stabilize better in the system.