New BASF Black Pigment for Cars

The BASF Colors and Effects brand has launched Spectrasense Black EH 8082, an organic perylene functional black pigment with improved jetness in solid and neutral color travel in effect shades.  

Described as a breakthrough in hue control for white and metallic reductions, the material reportedly benefits designers and engineers by providing design freedom while not compromising technical benefits. With low near-infrared (NIR) absorption, the grade enables the creation of neutral gray and dark shades in solar heat management and light detection and ranging (lidar) applications, a staple of autonomous vehicles. 

Traditional carbon black pigments absorb visible light and NIR radiation, which interfere with lidar navigation. Reduced reflected radiation erodes object detection, particularly for darker-colored objects that contain high levels of carbon black. Automotive coating formulations using NIR transmissive or NIR reflective functional black pigments deliver outstanding signal response thereby improving object detection. The improved NIR reflectivity across a range of colors, for solid and effect shades, makes cars a fit for technologies like lidar systems and solar heat management.  

While dark surfaces with carbon black pigments absorb across the whole solar spectrum, Spectrasense black pigments facilitate coating system formulations that reflect wavelengths above the visible wavelength range. The pigment is characterized by high jetness in full shade and neutral color shades in metallic, mica or white reductions.  

The small particle size perylene is suitable for solvent and waterborne applications without compromising technical properties such as bleeding and durability.