Choices for Light Attenuation in Plastic Film Applications, 2008 PLACE Conference

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The primary attribute of rutile titanium dioxide, TiO₂, is its ability to provide opacity while imparting whiteness to a plastic film. Titanium dioxide delivers opacity because it reflects, scatters and, to a lesser degree, absorbs visible light. Other materials (e.g., lithophone, zinc oxide, anatase titanium dioxide, carbon black, etc.) can also provide opacity, but less effectively due to the lower refractive indices of these materials. Rutile TiO₂ is the most cost-effective means of attaining hiding particularly for a white plastic film. This paper describes the fundamentals of the interaction of TiO₂ with various wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum.