Barium sulfate (chemical formula: BaSO4) is a naturally occurring or synthetically produced inorganic compound renowned for its unique set of physical and chemical properties. It exists in nature as the mineral barite, which can be processed into high-purity products, or synthesized through chemical reactions to meet specialized industrial demands. With its outstanding stability, non-toxicity, and functional characteristics, barium sulfate has become an indispensable material across multiple industries.

Key Applications

Coatings Industry: Widely used in architectural coatings, industrial coatings, and automotive coatings. It enhances opacity, scratch resistance, weatherability, and chemical resistance of coatings, while improving flowability during application.

Plastics & Polymers: Serves as a functional filler in polyolefins, PVC, engineering plastics, and rubber. It enhances the dimensional stability, rigidity, impact resistance, and surface finish of plastic products, and can also serve as a nucleating agent to optimize crystallization.

Medical & Pharmaceutical Fields: In radiology, it is used as a contrast medium for X-ray and CT scans (oral or rectal administration) due to its high X-ray absorption capacity, enabling clear imaging of the gastrointestinal tract. It is also used as an excipient in pharmaceuticals to improve tablet hardness and stability.

Paper Industry: Added to paper coatings and pulp to enhance brightness, opacity, printability, and smoothness of paper, while reducing the consumption of wood pulp.

Ceramics & Glass: Used in ceramic glazes and glass production to improve whiteness, gloss, and thermal shock resistance of the final products.