Fabrication of a high solid loading carbon black slurry and evaluation of its dispersion property

Abstract

The effect of amphiphilic fatty acids on the dispersion property of carbon black in non-aqueous solvents was studied. Stearic acid and oleic acid were adopted as dispersants to study the stable dispersion mechanism of carbon black particles in a nonaqueous solvent. Because N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) has a relatively high dielectric constant among non-aqueous solvents, it was introduced and had a good affinity for fatty acids. Carbon black was mixed into NMP with or without fatty acids at various contents. The dispersion homogeneity of the slurry was improved by affecting the surface energy of the carbon black particles treated with fatty acid. The slurries with stearic acid or oleic acid had different particle size distributions due to the difference in molecular structure of the hydrophobic groups of the two fatty acids. The rheological property of the carbon black slurry was improved according to the additional amount of added fatty acid, but it declined when it above a specific concentration.