• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
• /
• v.47 no.6
• /
• pp.603-607
• /
• 2010

Turquoise blue pigment of Vanadium-zircon blue (DCMA number 14-42-2), which was already commercialized, was stable to be reproduced but insufficient to give strong blue. However, it possible to obtain more intense blue by partially substituting cobalt ions into the willemite($Zn_2SiO_4$) lattice classified into DCMA number 7-10-2 for blue ceramic pigment. By the composition of willemite $Co_xZn_{2-x}SiO_4$(X=0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07, 0.09 mole), this study used reagent grade zinc oxide, cobalt oxide and silicon dioxide as starting materials, carrying out the synthesis with solid reaction method by adding $H_3BO_3$ as a mineralizer. The firing temperature was between $1200^{\circ}C$ and $1400^{\circ}C$. The characteristics of synthesized pigment were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and SEM and the characteristics of color tones were analyzed by UV-Vis spectroscopy and CIE-$L^*a^*b^*$ measurement. As a result, the optimal composition was $Zn_{1.95}Co_{0.05}$ with 1wt% of $H_3BO_3$ as a mineralizer and firing condition was $1350^{\circ}C$/3 h. $L^*a^*b^*$ value was 29.25, 41.03, -59.93 for on glaze pigment and 37.03, 36.41, -60.03 for under glaze pigment.