Mechanism of the effect of esterified modified polystyrene-maleic anhydride on the dispersion and stability of carbon black in colour paste

An aqueous carbon black slurry was prepared by esterifying polystyrene-maleic anhydride with isobutanol as the esterifying agent and using the esterified product as a dispersant for carbon black. The effects of grinding time and dispersant addition on the ground particle size of carbon black before and after the esterification modification were investigated, as well as the effect of SMA dispersant on the dispersion stability of carbon black. The carbon black slurry was investigated by introducing external conditions such as temperature and pH, and the microscopic dispersion of the ink was observed by SEM. The results showed that the dispersion effect of the isobutanol-modified SMA was stronger than that of the unmodified SMA, the particle size of the carbon black paste reached 84 nm with the best stability when the dispersant was added at 4 % and the grinding time was 120 min. FTIR and XRD results showed that the surface groups of the carbon black interacted with the groups of the dispersant to achieve dispersion stability. This study not only provides directions for the selection of dispersant for carbon black in new aqueous media but also confirms the practicality of black colour pastes in gel inks and provides a theoretical reference for the development of pigment-based gel inks.