Auxiliary
Established in 2014, Hangzhou Reward has emerged as a leading player in the chemical industry, specializing in the production and distribution of a wide range of high-quality products. With a firm commitment to innovation, quality, and customer satisfaction, we have solidified our position as a prominent supplier in China's chemical market.
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Commitment to Quality
Quality is the cornerstone of our business. We adhere to rigorous quality control standards throughout our manufacturing processes, from sourcing raw materials to delivering finished products. Our dedicated team of experts employs advanced techniques to ensure that every batch meets or exceeds industry standards.
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Innovation and Research
At the heart of our success lies our continuous drive for innovation. We invest in research and development to create cutting-edge solutions that address evolving market needs. By staying ahead of technological advancements and industry trends, we remain at the forefront of providing products that contribute.
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Customer-Centric Approach
Understanding that every client is unique, we take a personalized approach to cater to individual requirements. Our responsive customer service team is readily available to provide support, answer queries, and offer expert guidance.
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Wide Product Range
Our comprehensive product portfolio encompasses an array of chemical solutions that cater to various industries. From pigments and dyes that add vibrant hues to everyday life, to cosmetic ingredients that enhance beauty and self-expression.
What is Optical Brightener OB?
Optical brightener OB is a milky white powder with the molecular formula C26H26N2O2S. Optical brighteners have a wide range of applications. Fabric whitening is one of them. Plastics and other materials have a certain degree of yellow, making them look dull and dull. Light, in order to increase the brightness of the material, the optical brightener OB can be added to the plastic. Similar applications are also made for fabrics. Other colorants are used with the optical brightener to obtain the desired color and hue in the material. . Optical brighteners are easy to use on plastics because they have a high melting point, which helps them mix easily with molten plastic.
Advantages of Optical Brightener OB
Brightness and Whiteness
When the white textile fabric is produced in the factories, observers are called to check the whiteness of the fabric, and white textile that is freshly made often gives off a yellowish haze, which often dampens the look and aesthetics of the fabric. Adding a bluer tint to the fabric makes it look whiter. If you grew up in the 1990s, you probably remember seeing blue laundry detergents used in the washing process to give it a brighter tint. As explained at the start, optical brighteners emit blue light, and when this property is added to the textile, they give it a brighter look and get rid of the yellowish feel. Having a greater affinity for cellulose, they become excellent for use in cellulose-containing fabrics.
Lightfastness
This is a property of any colour-producing material that indicates how resistant it is to fading when exposed to light. OBs introduce a significant amount of lightfastness when added to the cellulose-containing fabric. On the other hand, when added to fabrics, their light fastness increases more than that of cellulose, and in the case of polyester, there is an even higher rating of light fastness being added by OBs.
Washing fastness
It is the property of the colour dyed on fabric; it is the measure of how resistant a dyed colour is to the effects of the washing process. The washing fastness added by OBs is in the medium range, and it might degrade with time, particularly in the case of cellulose textiles. In the case of other textile materials, the washing fastness of OBs may last for the life of the textile material.
Application of Optical Brightener OB
Detergent Industry
The biggest requirement of OB is in whitening the clothes and therefore, it’s no surprise that the detergent industry is the largest user of the fluorescent brighteners. As we all have experienced, clothes lose their natural whiteness over the course of time. That’s where optical brighteners come in not just to protect that whiteness, but also to enhance it by converting low-density colours to the ones with higher density.
Textile Industry
Another significant usage of the OB is in the textile industry where every cloth needs to be bleached before being processed as the raw material is full of impurities that come from pesticides, dust stuck to the fabric while transportation. And in fabrics sourced from animalsimpurities like animal fats, secretions, etc. need to be removed. However, bleaching doesn’t offer complete whitening, which leads to the necessary usage of Optical Brightening.
Paper Industry
We all want our papers to be as white as possible, don’t we? Well, that’s where optical brightening agents come in. The raw material of paper often consists of impurities such as snippets of bamboo sticks and wood. These impurities dampen the brightness of the paper and that’s why this sector creates a lot of opportunity for optical brightening agent manufacturers.
Other Industries
Apart from detergent, paper and textile industry, there are other industries where optical brightening agents suppliers supply OB. Unlike the above-mentioned industries, these industries make the use of the brightening property of brighteners. The plastic industry, the paint industry and the cosmetic industry are the leading examples of these industries.
Common Optical Brighteners in Detergent Powder
Stilbene Derivatives
Stilbene-based OBAs, such as 4,4′-diamino-2,2′-stilbenedisulfonic acid (DAS), are frequently incorporated into laundry detergents due to their effectiveness in augmenting fabric whiteness.
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Biphenyl Derivatives
Biphenyl-based OBAs, often found in BIS triazine aminostilbenes, play a pivotal role in making clothing appear visibly brighter.
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Coumarin Derivatives
While less prevalent in detergents compared to textiles and paper products, coumarin-based OBAs may still find application in select formulations to enhance fabric brightness.
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Naphthalene Derivatives
Naphthalene-derived OBAs are versatile and can be found in various products, including detergents, contributing to the overall whitening effect.
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Pyrazoline Derivatives
Pyrazoline-based OBAs are occasionally employed in detergent powders, particularly in formulations tailored for superior fabric brightening.
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How Optical Brighteners Work in Detergent
Optical brighteners are compounds capable of absorbing ultraviolet (UV) light, which exists beyond the visible spectrum but is present in both natural and artificial lighting.
Following the absorption of UV light, these agents undergo a molecular transformation, emitting visible blue light. This emitted light effectively counters the natural yellowish or dingy appearance of fabrics.
Fabrics often exhibit yellow tones due to the absorption of blue and violet light. Optical brighteners absorb this yellow light, converting it into blue light and thereby enhancing the overall brightness and whiteness of the material.
The emitted blue light not only brightens the fabric but also elevates the perception of fabric color, rendering it visually cleaner and brighter to the human eye.
It’s imperative to understand that optical brighteners lack inherent cleaning properties. They do not possess the capability to remove stains or dirt from fabrics. Instead, they create an optical illusion of heightened whiteness and brightness.
Difference Between Optical Brightener OB And Optical Brightener OB-1
Melting point
The melting point of optical brightener OB is 200 degrees, which is lower than the melting point of optical brightener OB-1, which is 360 degrees (OB-1 is the most high-temperature-resistant whitening agent). This largely determines the difference between the two Application of optical brighteners.
Dispersion
Dispersion mainly defines the stability of application. Products with good dispersion will have a long-lasting whitening effect, and the yellowing of the product will be very slow. Optical brightener OB has better dispersion and stability than OB-1, which is why it is recommended to use OB in ink coatings, because OB is not prone to the yellowing phenomenon that may occur in the early stage of OB-1.
Price
When optical brighteners are used on a large scale, price becomes the decisive factor in deciding the choice. OB is much more expensive than OB-1, and most manufacturers choose the latter instead of the former because it is cheap. But special applications such as special ink coatings require OB to be manufactured, so innovation and R&D activities are looking for more affordable and effective OB alternatives.
Optical Brightener’s Chemistry
We know that optical brightening agents are stilbene derivatives. The stilbene is a diphenylethene which consist two stereo-isomer – trans-isomer and cis-isomer. Between these two configurations, the trans-isomer can exhibits strong fluorescence whereas the cis-isomer does not exhibit fluorescence. The trans configuration is more stable than cis configuration but when the uv light applied on the trans configuration then it become electronically exited and converted into cis configuration. Consequently the fluorescence phenomenon occurs in. The visible blue light effectively neutralizes the cream color or yellowish hue of the paper fiber.
Types of Optical Brightener
Disulfonated OBAs
This OBAs contains two sulphonic groups. They are hydrophobic and have a very good affinity. The solubility is very low. Normally it is used in wet end.
Tetrasulfonated types
This OBAs contains four sulphonic groups. It has medium affinity and good solubility so ideal for paper industries both in wet end and dry end. They are suitable for neutral or alkaline pH medium. It is most common type of OBAs that are used in paper and paper board.
Hexasulfonated OBAs
Hexasulfonated OBAs contains six sulphonic groups. It is special type of brightener which has excellent solubility. Mostly it is used in those papers where high brightness is required such as photographic paper. They are used in dry end as coating.
The Considerations for Buying Optical Brightener
High-temperature resistance of the optical brightener
Plastic product molding temperature is relatively high, usually can reach 200 ℃ or more. some engineering plastic molding temperatures even reached 300 ℃ or more. Those high-temperature plastics require an optical brightener that can resist high temperatures to maintain good stability. The melting point refers to the brightener powder heat from solid to liquid temperature. The higher the melting point of the brightener, the better the high-temperature performance.
Weather resistance of the optical brightener
Many outdoor plastic products, such as outdoor billboards, are placed outdoors for a long time. In order to avoid long-term sunlight fading and yellowing of the product, we need to choose optical brighteners with very good weather resistance. Weather resistance refers to the aging of plastic products after sunlight, temperature changes, wind and rain, and other external conditions, and a series of aging conditions such as discoloration, fading, chalking, and strength reduction.
Immigration resistance of the optical brightener
The optical brightener will be partially dissolved in the plastic at a certain processing temperature. Therefore it should have a good immigration resistance. For example, the OB-1 has the feature of good initial coloring and whiteness. But in plastic resin, if the dosage of OB exceeds 0.02%, it might separate out and the plastics will look yellowish. Therefore we should pay attention to the dosage of optical brighteners for plastic, especially soft plastics.
When choosing a optical brightener suitable for use in paints and coatings, let's first understand the role of fluorescent whitening agents. The role of a optical brightener in paint is mainly to improve the whiteness and vividness of the product and improve the appearance and use of the product. It can absorb ultraviolet light and emit blue-violet fluorescence, and then mix with a yellow light on the surface of the paint film to become white light so that the paint film surface tends to total reflection, which makes the white paint look more white and bright in human vision; the light-colored paint is more brilliant and eye-catching.
Our Certifications
In the ever-evolving landscape of chemical solutions, our company stands as a beacon of quality, innovation, and customer-centricity. Since our establishment in 2014, we have continued to grow and evolve, adapting to changes while upholding our core values. As a prominent supplier of pigments, dyes, cosmetic ingredients, textile auxiliaries, and more, we are proud to be your partner in shaping a colorful and vibrant world.
FAQ
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