Process for preparing titanium carbide

1. A process for preparing titanium carbide (TiC) comprising irradiating a pigment formulation with a laser having sufficient output to induce pulverization of the pigment formulation, said pigment formulation being a polymer matrix comprising at least one titanium donor, said polymer matrix functioning as a carbon donor and being predominantly pulverized as a result of the laser irradiation thereby forming a plasma, and wherein the pigment formulation reacts under laser irradiation to form TiC.

2. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the titanium carbide is deposited on a substrate.

3. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the preparation of titanium carbide is carried out with the exclusion of a glass frit and/or with the exclusion of a plastic which melts under energy irradiation.

4. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the titanium donor used is titanium dioxide.

5. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the polymer matrix is a radiation-cured polymer matrix and/or wherein the polymer matrix used is a thermosetting polymer matrix.

6. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a pulverized material is removed from the pigment formulation by laser-induced burning, the pulverized material having a number-average particle size of 0.5 μm to 2.0 μm.

7. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pigment formulation is a pigment layer with a thickness in the range from 20 μm to 500 μm.

8. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pigment formulation is a pigment layer which is coated partly or over its whole area with an adhesive.

9. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pigment formulation is a pigment layer which is applied on a carrier.

10. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pigment formulation is a pigment layer which is deactivated by a partially applied passivating layer.

11. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the laser irradiation is performed with a pulsed laser.

12. The process of claim 1 , wherein said polymer matrix comprises a further carbon donor.

13. The process of claim 12 , wherein said further carbon donor is carbon black.

14. The process as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the pigment formulation has the following composition:

100 phr polymer matrix,

0.2 phr to 2.5 phr carbon black, and

45 phr to 65 phr titanium dioxide.

15. The process as claimed in claim 13 , wherein free carbon is formed as a carbon donor by the carbon black on laser exposure.

16. A process for marking a substrate with formation of titanium carbide, comprising applying a pigment formulation in the form of a thermoset polymer matrix comprising a titanium donor and optionally a carbon donor to the substrate to be marked and irradiating with a laser having sufficient output to induce pulverization of the thermoset polymer matrix, in which the laser radiation interacts with the pigment formulation, and, in the regions irradiated, TiC is deposited as a marking on the substrate.

17. The process as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the substrate used is a transparent substrate, and wherein the irradiation of the pigment formulation is performed through the substrate in such a way that the marking is developed on the side of the substrate remote from the laser source.

18. The process as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the marking is performed with exclusion of a glass frit and/or with exclusion of a plastic which melts under energy irradiation.

19. The process as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the marking applied is an interference hologram or a computer-generated hologram.