Synthesis of ZrO2-based ceramic pigments

The pigments used in ceramic applications are of nature predominantly inorganic and they should be thermally stable, insoluble in glazing, resistant to the chemical and physical agents' attacks. This work aimed at the synthesis by the polymeric precursor method of ZrO₂-based inorganic pigments, doped with Fe, Ni, Co, Cr and Cu cations. The fired pigments were characterized by thermogravimetry (TG), differential thermal analysis (DTA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Among the metals used to zirconium-doping, the best result was achieved with the cations Cu, which presented the monophase pigment, even as 20 mol% of dopant. Up to the temperature of 1000°C the pigments presented a good thermal stability. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.