Dark colour plastic window profiles should warp less in the sun

BASF has introduced new functional carbon black pigments that are “jet black” yet fully transparent to near infra-red (NIR) radiation. The group claims that solar heat build-up from incidental sunlight on plastics parts can be halved for dark coloured or even black items when using the new pigments compared with conventional carbon blacks.

The company says that the low heat build-up when using the NIR-transparent black pigments Lumogen Black FK 4280 and Lumogen Black FK 4281 is due to a high degree of transparency in the range of solar radiation, namely in wavelengths ranging from 750nm to 2,500nm. BASF sees potential for the pigments in automotive and decorative applications such as in PVC films used for furniture.

The new pigments were introduced by BASF at the recent NPE fair in Chicago, where its organic NIR absorbers Lumogen IR 765 and Lumogen IR 788 and the developmental broadband IR absorber Lumogen IR 1050 were also presented.