Carbon-coated Non-magnetic Iron Oxide Particles for the Substrate of Multi-layered Magnetic Recording Media

Abstract

Non-magnetic particles with finer size (less than 200 nm), higher dispersibility, higher blackness and lower electrical resistance are required to produce better multi-layered magnetic tape media which have non-magnetic substrate using non-magnetic sub-layer materials. A special method to prepare acicular hematite particles, whose cross-sectional diameter is about 150 nm, coated with carbon black using a surface modification agent is reported in this paper. Transmission electron microscopy photographs of carbon-coated hematite particles indicate that all of the carbon black is firmly bound to the surface in a distinct layer. The thickness of carbon-coating layer was about 1 to 2 nm if 15% by weight of carbon black is coated onto the particle surface.