eli5: What makes ‘permanent’ markers more permanent than regular markers?
In: Chemistry
It’s based on how you make the marker ink. Permanent markers have something in the ink that makes the ink stick to surfaces better and hard to remove with water. Non-permanent markers don’t have that extra sticky solution and is made in a way where you can clean it easily with water.
An ELI15 answer is that markers are made with a dye dissolved in an organic solvent. If the solvent is water-soluble, it’s not permanent. If the solvent is made with a non-water-soluble solution, it’s “permanent”. Sometimes, to make it more permanent, they also include a polymer in the mixture that binds the ink to the surface better.
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