Laser-markable polymers and coatings

A method for the production of darkened laser-markings on a laser-markable polymer or on a laser-markable polymeric coating, which comprises:

• laser-treating the polymer or polymeric coating, which polymer or polymeric coating comprises a polymer and, in the polymer, a laser additive, which laser additive comprises spherical TiO2 particles which are coated on the surface with an antimony-doped tin dioxide layer (Sn,Sb)O2 and the TiO2 particles have a number weighted particle size of <15 μm, measured at the D95 by means of laser diffraction, and
• wherein, in the resulting polymer or polymeric coating, the laser-treating results in reducing the TiO2 in the laser additive to TixOy, which results in a visibly darkened marking with a surface which is not roughened, where it was laser-treated.