Nano calcium carbonate is also called superfine calcium carbonate. The name of the standard is called superfine calcium carbonate. Nano calcium carbonate is most used in the plastic industry. It is mainly used in high-grade plastic products. It can improve the flow of the plastic master batch. It also makes it easier to shape. It is a plastic filler. It toughens and reinforces. It improves the plastic’s bending strength and flexural modulus. It also improves the plastic’s heat resistance and size stability. It also provides plastic thermal hysteresis. Nano calcium carbonate is used in ink. It has excellent dispersion and transparency, and excellent gloss. It also has excellent ink absorption and high dryness. Nano calcium carbonate is a good ink filler in resin-based ink. It has many advantages. These include stability, gloss, and no impact on drying ink. It also has strong adaptability.
Nano calcium carbonate is a type of inorganic filler. It has a particle size of 1-100nm. It is widely used in rubber, plastics, papermaking, ink, paint, sealant, and adhesive. It is also used in medicine, toothpaste, and food. But, different applications have different requirements. They care about the size and shape of the particles. They also care about the absorption of oil by the particles and their dispersion. These are the properties of nano calcium carbonate.
Application of nano calcium carbonate in plastics
In making plastics, ordinary calcium carbonate products can only be used as fillers. Nano calcium carbonate is used as fillers. It can also be an activator and reinforcing agent. It can increase the volume of plastic products and make them harder and stronger. It can improve how plastics are processed. It boosts their heat resistance, strength, and flexibility.
Nano calcium carbonate has been widely used in the processing of PVC, PS, PP, and other plastics. Among them, the amount of PVC is the largest, especially for wire, cable, pipe, and other products. Nano calcium carbonate has a good reinforcement and toughening effect on PVC plastics. The main nano traits make PVC strong. It has good properties. These include strength, barrier, flame retardance, and thermal stability.
Here are the technical requirements for nano calcium carbonate in the plastic industry:
Oil absorption value is a key property. The plastic industry needs nano calcium carbonate. It must have a very low oil absorption. This is because nano calcium carbonate has small particles and a large surface area. A high oil absorption value means more plasticizers will be used during mixing. This will raise the system’s viscosity. It will hurt processing and raise production cost.
The crystals are mainly cubic or spherical. They have less flow resistance. They are easy to make and process. They do not affect the appearance of plastic products.
The particles are about 100nm. They are used in plastics. If the particles are too large, they can’t show the effect of nano calcium carbonate. They will harm product appearance. If the size is too small, the surface energy will rise. The particles will clump badly and be hard to spread evenly in processing. This will cause particles to be on product surfaces.
Dispersibility: nano calcium carbonate with high dispersion should be selected. If nano calcium carbonate agglomerates, the clumps will be much larger than the primary particles. But, the shear force of plastic processing and mixing is weak. Some nano calcium carbonate has serious clumps. It is not easy to spread them. This will cause defects and hurt product quality.
Moisture: the moisture control should not be higher than 0.5%. If the moisture content is too high, the plastic surface will produce bubbles or hollows.
PH value: the pH value of nano calcium carbonate should be controlled below 10. If the pH is too high, it will hurt the whiteness and gloss of the products. It will make the appearance worse. At the same time, high pH will also thicken the system. It will affect our processing.
Calcium carbonate is the most common non-metallic mineral powder used in the plastic industry. It makes up 60-70% of all plastic additives. But, many problems remain in high-performance application research. Especially, how to prevent clumping of nano calcium carbonate. To enhance dispersion and boost the bonding of composite materials.
Application of nano calcium carbonate in rubber
Nano calcium carbonate is mainly used in the rubber industry. It is used in tire, wire, cable, and rubber products. It can increase volume, reduce costs, and improve rubber processing performance. Now, the main calcium carbonate used in rubber is heavy calcium carbonate. The other is normal light calcium carbonate. The application field and scope of nano calcium carbonate are also expanding. Rubber products with nano calcium carbonate are much better. They are better than those with ordinary calcium carbonate. They are better in elongation, compression, yield, and tear resistance. The nano-calcium carbonate treated with special technology has high surface activity. Under ultraviolet light, it can release free electrons. It can then easily react with oxygen or organic substances to kill viruses and bacteria. Therefore, nano calcium carbonate also has the effect of sterilization and disinfection.
Tire: Nano Calcium Carbonate can partly replace carbon black. It can also replace black carbon in making car tires. But, it is not as good at reinforcing. It is mainly used in low-stress parts. These include the sidewall, cord compound, inner layer rubber, and buffer rubber. In production, nano calcium carbonate and active zinc oxide strengthen tire tread compound. They strengthen it a lot.
Rubber tube and tape use nano calcium carbonate to strengthen and whiten them. It also improves the dispersibility of the rubber compound.
Nano calcium carbonate is used in the protective cover of wire and cable. This includes mine, high voltage, marine, and electrical wire and cable.
The technical requirements of nano calcium carbonate in rubber industry are as follows ：
The oil absorption value is a example. The rubber industry has higher requirements for it. Higher oil absorption values are better. They improve the wettability and reinforcement of rubber.
Rubber reinforces well. Nano calcium carbonate should be mainly chain or chain-like. The chains will entangle during processing, which can make the system stronger.
Particle size: the particle size of nano calcium carbonate used in rubber is generally 80-120nm. If the particle size is too large, the reinforcement effect cannot be achieved. However, if the particle size is too small, the contact area between the particle and the rubber increases. This makes the dispersion hard and affects the rubber mixing.
Moisture: the moisture content should not be higher than 0.5%. If the moisture is too high, the scorching time will be longer. This is not good for vulcanization rate.
PH value is key. It mainly affects the vulcanization rate of nano calcium carbonate. You should keep it at 9.5-10.5. If the pH value is low, the vulcanization rate will slow. Efficiency will drop and energy use will rise.
Adding nano calcium carbonate to the rubber can strengthen the rubber. It can also improve the rubber’s aging, oil, and dispersal. Nano calcium carbonate has a better reinforcing effect than regular light calcium products. But, its effect is worse than carbon black and silica. If carbon black and silica are replaced by nano calcium carbonate, the strength of the material will be reduced. If the use amount is too large, the roller sticking phenomenon will occur. Therefore, the technical formula needs reasonable debugging and continuous optimization.
Application of nano calcium carbonate in adhesives
The adhesive is mostly base glue. It also has curing agent, filler, coupling agent, and catalyst. China’s real estate, packaging, and building materials are developing rapidly. As a result, the use of adhesives is growing fast. Nano calcium carbonate is an important filler for adhesives. It is cheap and mixes well with adhesives. It can speed up adhesive crosslinking. It improves thixotropy and adhesion. It also improves tensile strength and reinforcement. The nano calcium carbonate technology in polysiloxane sealant is now mature. But, its use of polyurethane adhesive is still in its infancy. Polyurethane adhesive sticks well and resists aging. It can coat surfaces that silicone cannot. Polyurethane adhesive has clear advantages. It’s pollution-free and has good adhesion and weather resistance.
Nano calcium carbonate has key technical requirements. It is used in adhesives. They are as follows:
Oil absorption value is an index that silicone rubber makers care about. It directly affects how well nano calcium carbonate wets the rubber. Higher nano calcium carbonate has advantages in strength and thixotropy. But, it leads to thick colloid, uses more additives, and raises cost. Manufacturers have different oil absorption requirements for nano calcium carbonate. It depends on the circumstances.
The crystals are generally cubic or rhombic. They also need to fit the product’s requirements and production equipment.
If the particle size of CaCO 3 is too small to be controlled, the colloid will agglomerate easily. If the particle size is too small, the colloid will be easily agglomerated.
Moisture is key. The less moisture, the better for adhesives. It should be less than 0.5%. If the calcium carbonate has more water, its surface has more hydroxyl groups. The aggregates tend to stick together, forming a 3D network under the base rubber. This raises the rubber’s viscosity, mixing time, and energy use. Too much water also raises energy use. It reacts with additives to make particles. This causes poor product dispersion and particle appearance. The polyurethane adhesive contains many isocyanate radicals. They are easy to hydrolyze. The formation of CO2 is the foaming phenomenon on the surface of the product.
PH value: calcium carbonate is a kind of weak alkali salt with pH value of 8-10. The coating agent is nano active calcium carbonate is usually a weak organic acid or acid salt. It has a certain neutralization effect on the surface. In production, calcium carbonate often returns to alkali. If the alkali is not treated, it will make water with the acid in the rubber. The acid will break siloxane to make particles. This will make the product look bad and hurt its strength.
The particle size is 60 ~ 100nm. So, the specific surface area should be 20 ~ 25m2 / g. A large surface area will boost the reinforcement effect. But, it will also harm the adhesive’s ability to be extruded. And it will hurt the product’s ability to disperse.
Now, more research is being done on nano calcium carbonate. It will not play the same role in nano adhesive, like nano calcium carbonate.
Application of nano calcium carbonate in coatings
Heavy, light, and nano calcium carbonate are widely used in coatings. Compared with heavy or light calcium carbonate, nano calcium carbonate has better reinforcement. It also improves the covering power, gloss, and transparency. It makes coatings dry faster and stop changing. In some industries, like automobile and architectural coatings, nano calcium carbonate can replace some or all of the expensive titanium dioxide. This reduces the cost for businesses.
The main technology of nano calcium carbonate used in PVC plastisol system is marked with：
Oil absorption value: generally, the requirements are low. A high oil absorption value raises system viscosity. It increases the need for more plasticizers, which raises the production cost. However, the oil absorption requirements for different products are not the same. They depend on the specific situation. For example, some customers need products with high oil absorption. They need high viscosity and high yield.
Crystal form: generally cubic
Particle size: generally controlled at 60-100nm. If the particles are too big, the system’s viscosity will drop. This will hurt its mechanical properties and thixotropy. If the particles are too small, nano calcium carbonate will clump. This will easily cause poor dispersion and pitting on the colloid’s surface. At the same time, viscosity and yield value will be increased.
In addition to the above basic detection measures, the nano calcium carbonate in PVC plastisol also needs some special properties.
It has good thixotropy, i.e. high shear thinning and low shear thickening. Adding nano calcium carbonate to PVC plastisol lowers viscosity at high shear rate. This helps the coating flow. But, at low shear rate before and after construction, the viscosity rises. This rise can prevent the coating from sagging.
The coating has high yield value. It has good strength. It can resist small disturbance and external force impact. It has good quality stability.
Currently, there is a big gap in the quality of domestic nano calcium carbonate compared with imports. Some good indicators are hard to appear and keep.
Application of nano calcium carbonate in ink
The ink has pigments, binders, fillers, and additives. The altered nano calcium carbonate mixes well with the binder. It has the benefits of high gloss, strong stability, and adaptability. It does not affect the ink’s drying or performance. It can comprehensively improve the quality of the ink and reduce the production cost.
Nano calcium carbonate used in ink requires high performance. After use, the ink should disperse well. It should also absorb well and be transparent and glossy. It should have good covering power and be good for printing. The dispersion determines the glossiness, fluidity and transparency of the ink. Nano calcium carbonate is mainly cubic. The cubic kind has low oil absorption. It has good fluidity and is easy to disperse. The particles are generally 20 to 100 nm. Fluidity depends on shape and size. Cubic and spherical forms flow more. Chain forms flow less. The manufacturers need to select the right nano calcium carbonate for the ink type. An important index of glossy ink is the shape of the calcium carbonate crystals. The shape is related to the particle sizes. The cube’s nano calcium carbonate has a narrow size range. It is arranged orderly in the ink coating, which makes the print smooth and shiny. The ink needs low whiteness. This is because other pigments need to be added. High whiteness makes them hard to color.
In the ink industry, nano calcium carbonate plays an important role. The quality of the ink determines the quality of the printed matter. The ink contains nano calcium carbonate. It is smooth and stable. It prints well and has strong covering power.
In the printing process, it also shows good ink absorption, which is conducive to the quick drying of the ink.
Application of nano calcium carbonate in Papermaking
In the paper industry, nano calcium carbonate is mainly used in the following ways:
As paper filler, nano calcium carbonate has small and even particles. It causes little wear on equipment and makes fine, even paper. It has a small size, large oil absorption, and surface area. These traits help bind pigments. It has good whiteness, brightness, and light shielding. These traits improve the paper’s whiteness and shading. It cuts the amount of pulp used, which saves cost and helps the environment.
In cigarette paper, about 45% – 50% of the material is nano calcium carbonate. It’s added because it has a high refractive index and good opacity. These hide the cut tobacco inside. When the cigarette burns, the calcium carbonate releases CO2. This gas can slow the burning slightly, but not put it out. At the same time, calcium carbonate can keep the ash content after combustion well. It can also increase the air permeability of paper and cut the tar content in cigarettes.
Nano calcium carbonate is widely used in high-grade toilet paper. It’s especially common in women’s and baby products, such as sanitary napkins and diapers. It makes the polyethylene film have good air permeability and water resistance. Also, nano calcium carbonate has small particles. The products made from it are delicate and safe for skin. They will not cause discomfort to the body.
Its application in paper coating. Coating nano calcium carbonate is different from papermaking filler. It is mainly transported as slurry. It saves energy. It cuts costs. There’s no dust. It’s good for the environment. It can be directly pumped into use and simplify the production process. Nano calcium carbonate can improve the gloss, whiteness, and smoothness of paper. It can also make it stronger. This is because it is very white, has a large surface area, is very active, and strengthens well.
In different products, the requirements of nano calcium carbonate crystal shape are also different. They are mainly spindle shaped, chain shaped, and spherical when used in paper-making fillers. In cigarette paper, they are mainly spindle shaped and needle shaped. In paper coating, they are mainly spindle shaped, sheet-shaped, and cubic.
Nano calcium carbonate has many uses in papermaking. Its use still has great potential for growth. Many technical bottlenecks and application problems must still be solved. So, high-grade nano calcium carbonate products for papermaking still rely on import. But, papermaking technology has kept developing. The process changed from acid sizing to neutral and alkaline sizing. This changed created a good opportunity for calcium carbonate in papermaking. The use of nano calcium carbonate will become more common.
Many enterprises are involved in raw materials, production, and application industries. They are part of the industrial chain of nano calcium carbonate. To integrate the industrial chain, relevant enterprises must exchange technical ideas. This exchange is vital for innovation. We can only do this by meeting supply and demand in many industries and growing the market. This is the way to achieve win-win results.
