Effects of Tinting Strength and Undertone: TiO2 Color Matching Applications

[one_half]Joseph Bidwell
Chemours

Mr. Joseph Bidwell holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Villanova University. He has five years of experience in the titanium dioxide industry, representing experience in manufacturing, technical and commercial roles.

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Abstract

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigment offers the plastics industry attractive physical and optical performance characteristics. Tinting strength and undertone are quantifiable measurements of optical properties of TiO2 and pigment performance characteristics within the overall color space. These parameters provide opacification and brightness data to downstream consumers of TiO2 to appropriately develop formulations in combination with colored pigments to achieve a target specification in the desired color space. This paper describes the relationship between the TiO2 optical properties of tinting strength and undertone and the resulting effects on chroma, hue and saturation within different color spaces. This relationship is crucial to understanding the impact of TiO2 grade selection and optical space analysis for color formulation and resulting product color performance.