Ink Matters: Comparative Analysis of Black Fountain Pen Inks from Three Popular Brands

This study presents a comparative analysis of black fountain pen inks from three commercial brands-Pilot, Pelikan and Lamy-using thin-layer chromatography (TLC), gas chromatographymass spectrometry (GC-MS), attenuated total reflectance-Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) and cyclic voltammetry (CV).TLC revealed multiple dye components with different polarities in each ink, consistent with complex commercial mixtures.GC-MS tentatively identified substituted phenolic compounds, notably 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol and its positional isomers, in the volatile fraction.These compounds are common antioxidants in plastics and coatings and may have originated from additives or packaging rather than being intentional major ink constituents.ATR-FTIR spectra contained bands consistent with phenolic and silicon-related functionalities, whereas UV-Vis analysis identified brand-specific absorption maxima (λmax), with Lamy showing the highest absorbance.CV using screen-printed carbon electrodes with an Ag/AgCl pseudo-reference electrode provided distinct electrochemical profiles: the 0.1 M KCl blank was nearly featureless, whereas all inks displayed brand-dependent anodic responses and predominantly irreversible behaviour.Minor oxygen-reduction features near 0 to -0.2 V diminished during conditioning.Collectively, the chromatographic, spectroscopic and electrochemical results show that the inks share some stabilising agents and dye-related features while retaining distinguishable analytical profiles.This integrated approach provides a useful basis for forensic ink discrimination and quality control.