• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.497-501
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• 2015

Inkjet printing is a widespread technology, offering advantages such as high-quality decoration, a continuous process, and the accurate direct reproduction of patterns or pictures. In inkjet printing technology, the dispersion stability of ceramic ink is one of the most important factors. In this study, the dispersion stability of blue $CoAl_2O_4$ ink for ceramic inkjet printing is systematically investigated. Blue $CoAl_2O_4$ pigment was synthesized by a solid-state reaction and then milled to less than 300nm in size. In order to investigate the influence of the viscosity on the dispersion stability, two types of $CoAl_2O_4$ ceramic inks (termed here Blue L and Blue H) were prepared using different volume ratios of ethylene glycol and ethanol. The Blue L and Blue H ink solutions contained cetyltrimethylammonium bromide(CTAB) as a dispersive agent. The viscosity, surface tension and jetting stability of the $CoAl_2O_4$ ceramic inks were analyzed using a rheometer, a surface tension meter and a dropwatcher. The dispersion stability of the $CoAl_2O_4$ ceramic ink was investigated by a multiple light-scattering method. Blue H, a ceramic ink with higher viscosity, showed much better dispersion stability than the Blue L ceramic ink.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.73-80
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• 2014

Ink-jet printing technology has been widely attractive due to its facility for direct and fine printing on various substrates. Recent studies have focused on expanding the application of ink-jet printing technology from general consumer use and design companies to the prototype production of precision parts and parts manufacturing. The use of ink-jet printing technology in decorated tableware, tiles, and other ceramic products also has many advantages. The printing process is fast and can be adaptable to various kinds of objects because there is no direct contact point between the printer and the substrates to be printed. For application to ceramic product decoration, inks containing highly dispersed inorganic nano-pigments are required. Here we report the synthesis and characterization of blue $CoAl_2O_4$ nanopigment for ink-jet printing. Blue ceramic ink based on the obtained $CoAl_2O_4$ pigment was prepared by dissolving $CoAl_2O_4$ pigment in a mixed solution of ethylene glycol and ethanol with volume ratios of 7:3 and 8:2, respectively, to obtain the appropriate viscosity for ink-jet printing. The ink solution contained 15 wt% of $CoAl_2O_4$ pigment and Cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide(CTAB) and Sodium dodecyl sulfate(SDS) as dispersive agents. The prepared blue ceramic ink was stably jetted and formed a sphere-shaped droplet from an ink-jet printer.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.115-122
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• 2019

Electric arc furnace dust (EAFD), which is a dust waste generated in the steel manufacturing process, contains heavy metals. Recently, researches of recycling a large amount of valuable metals such as zinc and iron in EAFD are being actively carried out. In this study, EAFD is used as a substitute for cobalt in blue ceramic pigments without any pretreatment. Then, the synthesized blue ceramic pigment using EAFD was micronized and formulated as a ceramic ink for inkjet printer. The particle size distribution, crystal structure and color characteristics during the micronization process were investigated for the development of ceramic ink. $Co_{0.75}Zn(EAFD)_{0.25}Al_2O_4$ ceramic pigments showed excellent blue coloric properties and monomodal distribution through micronization process. The average particle size of $Co_{0.75}Zn(EAFD)_{0.25}Al_2O_4$ ceramic pigments after 3 hours of milling was $0.271{\mu}m$, which is smaller than $0.303{\mu}m$, which is the average particle size of $CoAl_2O_4$ ceramic pigments without EAFD after 5 hours of milling. Especially, it was confirmed that $Co_{0.75}Zn(EAFD)_{0.25}Al_2O_4$ ceramic pigments showed a color difference (${\Delta}E{^*}_{ab}$) value of 5.67, which smaller than ${\Delta}E{^*}_{ab}$ value of $CoAl_2O_4$ during micronization. These results show that EAFD can be used as a raw material for a blue ceramic pigment by replacing expensive cobalt without any pretreatment.