Fabrication and Stability of CoAl2O4 Ceramic Pigment for 3D Printing

Abstract

Ceramic pigment is the key component of the ink color in the 3D printing process of ceramic products. The color performance and stability of ceramic pigments after calcination still need to be improved. In the present study the cobalt aluminate (CoAl2O4) ceramic pigment powders were fabricated by sol-gel method. The effects of fabrication processes on color properties of CoAl2O4 ceramic pigments were investigated. The compositions and morphologies of CoAl2O4 ceramic pigment powders were characterized. The stability of CoAl2O4 ceramic pigments was discussed. The results showed that the CoAl2O4 ceramic pigment with high chroma was obtained at calcination temperature of 1200°C and the Co/Al ratio is 1:3. The Zeta potential of the fabricated CoAl2O4 ceramic pigment powders in aqueous solution was-66.2 mV, which represented good dispersion stability. The chroma and saturation of the CoAl2O4 ceramic pigment increased owing to that the oxide solid solution in the spinel structure increased after being sintered at 1300 oC.