Optical brighteners for paints, coatings and inks: how to choose
Coatings split cleanly into two camps. Oil-based and solvent systems take OB, which dissolves in the resin phase. Water-based systems take CBS-X or BA, which dissolve in the water phase. Choose from the wrong camp and the brightener sits in the can as undispersed crystal.
Solvent side
OB is the standard for oil-based paints, coatings and inks, and FP-127 covers the plastisol and wallpaper end. Both are poorly soluble in water but dissolve in alkanes, mineral oil and common organic solvents - the same solvency profile as the binder they are going into.
Water side
CBS-X carries a published water-based paint dosage of 0.01-0.05% thanks to its exceptional water solubility. BA covers water-based coating at 0.05-0.4% on coating solids and can be added at any stage of production.
Where the payoff is largest
Road marking paint and UV varnish are the two applications where a brightener earns its cost fastest - in the first because night-time reflectivity and daytime whiteness are both being bought, in the second because the gloss coat amplifies whatever whiteness sits underneath.
Recommended
Grades we put forward for paints, coatings & inks
Optical brightener OB
The workhorse of the benzoxazole family and the grade most plastics buyers are matching when their specification says Uvitex OB or Tinopal OB.
Optical brightener BA
C.I.
Optical brightener FP-127
A methoxy-substituted distyryl biphenyl built for soft PVC.
Optical brightener CBS-X
The detergent industry's benchmark, and the grade behind a Tinopal CBS-X specification.
Categories behind this market
Application briefs in this market
White masterbatch
A masterbatch concentrates the brightener twenty to a hundred times over the let-down dosage, so every weakness in the grade…
PVC foam board
Foam board yellows for two reasons at once - thermal stress during expansion and the intrinsic cast of the recycled fraction…
PVC pipe & profile
Pipe and profile are extruded hot, run long, and are judged on appearance for decades in sunlight. That makes the stabiliser, the…
PP woven bags
Woven sack tape is drawn hot and thin, often from a resin blend that includes recycled material. Whiteness sells the bag, and the…
EVA shoe soles
Footwear foam is the application KCB was developed for. The expansion step destroys a poorly chosen brightener, and a midsole…
Blown film
In film the brightener has to raise apparent whiteness without touching clarity, and it has to do it at a dosage measured in…
Technical reading
Articles from our own library that go deeper into the chemistry behind this market.
Optical Brighteners for Paints: Improving Whiteness, Brightness, and Visual Appeal
Optical brighteners for paints play a vital role in enhancing the visual quality of modern coatings. Also known as fluorescent
optical brighteners OB for paints and coatings
The optical brighteners OB, also known as fluorescent whitening agent (FWA), fluorescent brightening agent (FBA), or optical brightening agent (OBA),
OB for Ink: Enhancing Whiteness, Brightness, and Color Performance
Ink appearance plays a decisive role in product perception and end-use quality. To meet increasingly high visual standards, ink manufacturers
Tinopal OB CO: A BASF designed OBA for coatings, paints, adhesives and printing inks.
Tinopal OB CO-also known as Optical Brightener OB-is a high-performance fluorescent whitening agent widely used in paints, coatings, adhesives, and
Working on a paints, coatings & inks formulation?
Send the substrate, the process temperature and the whiteness target. A grade recommendation and a dosage window come back the same working day.