Interaction between glaze composition and dgital colours in floor tile glazes

The rapid advancement of technology has brought significant changes to various industries, including ceramics. In ceramic decoration, digital ink-jet printing technology has become widely used. However, one major issue with this method is that inks are more sensitive to changes in parameters such as operating conditions and composition variations, compared to other components in the production process. This study focuses on developing opaque glaze compositions with different oxide combinations, based on a standard commercial ceramic floor tile glaze. The color development and crystal structures of these compositions were analyzed, the behavior of the developed compositions under heat was examined using hot stage microscopy analysis. The results indicate that oxide compounds and crystal structures directly influence the color tones of the glaze compositions. The presence of CaO and ZnO in the opaque glaze system enhanced the a* value and intensity of coffee colors. The most intense blue tone was achieved in glazes containing CaO and BaO. In yellow color development, a decrease in quartz crystal intensity and the presence of ZnO increased the b* value, intensifying the yellow color. Pink tones became more pronounced with higher CaO content, while MgO and ZnO reduced the pink color intensity. For black color development, an increase in CaO content enhanced the intensity of cobalt aluminum chrome iron oxide crystals and the blackness. Unlike other colors, in black pigment content pellets, compositions with lower refractoriness caused chromium and iron in the pigment to melt under heat.