Whether it is dyes or pigments, they are able to give the colored matter to give people the color they need, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple existence, let our life colorful, let the world become colorful.

Pigments and dyes are colored organic compounds, from the chemical structure of organic pigments and dyes, the two are very similar, and even some organic compounds can be used as dyes and organic pigments, but organic pigments and dyes are indeed two different concepts, so what is the fundamental difference between dyes and pigments?

Basic concept

Dyes are organic compounds that can dye fibers or other substrates to a certain color. Most of them are soluble in water or are converted to a soluble state by certain chemical treatments when dyed. Some dyes are insoluble in water but can be dissolved in alcohol, oil, and can be used for the coloring of oil wax, plastics and other substances.

Pigments are colored organic or inorganic colored compounds that are insoluble in water and general organic solvents, but not all colored substances can be used as organic pigments, colored substances to become pigments, they must have the following properties:

1, bright color, can give the colored object (or substrate) a firm color

2, insoluble in water, organic solvents or application media

3, it is easy to evenly disperse in the application, and it is not affected by the physical and chemical effects of the application medium during the entire dispersion process, and retains their own inherent crystal structure.

4, sun resistance, climate resistance, heat resistance, acid and alkali resistance and organic solvent resistance.

Different coloring methods

The dye is dissolved into the resin;

The pigment is evenly dispersed in the resin.

Color variation difference

Dyes generally dissolve in the medium used in the process of use, even disperse dyes or VAT dyes, in the dyeing process is also experienced from a crystal state dissolved in water to a molecular state and then dyed on the fiber process. The color of the dye itself does not represent its color on the fabric.

Because the pigment is insoluble in the medium used during use, it always exists in its original crystal state, so the color of the pigment itself represents its color on the substrate.

Different main uses

The main use of dyes is to dye and print textiles;

The traditional use of pigments is to color non-textiles such as inks, paints, coatings, plastics, rubber, etc. This is because dyes have affinity (or directness) for textiles, which can be adsorbed and fixed by fiber molecules, while pigments have no affinity for all coloring objects, mainly relying on other film forming substances such as resins and adhesives to combine with coloring objects.

Transparency contrast

Plastic made of dye is very transparent;

The transparency of plastics made of pigments is much worse, and transparent pigments are not excluded, but there is still a certain gap between transparency and dyes alone.

Although dyes and pigments are different concepts, but in specific cases, they can be common, such as some anthraquinone VAT dyes, they are insoluble dyes, but after pigmentation can also be used as pigments, such dyes are called pigment dyes, or dye-based pigments.