Estudo da viabilidade de utilização um esmalte cerâmico de baixa temperatura para setor artístico

Abstract

The ceramic industry is a large consumer of energy and the burning of ceramic glazes is an important part of this process. In the decoration sector, where energy costs can have a considerable impact on the economic viability of the business, there is a need to develop ceramic glazes that can be processed at lower temperatures than glazes currently sold, which would lead to a reduction in spending. energy. During the study, the composition of the reference enamel was determined by X-ray Flourescence (XRF) and then a new formulation was proposed and synthesized. Both glazes were applied to pre-fired ceramic supports and characterized, comparing their thermal and aesthetic properties in different firing temperature ranges. Techniques such as Dilatometry (DIL) were used to verify the softening temperatures, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to analyze the coupling of the glazes with the ceramic supports and the homogeneous formation of the glazes, X-ray Diffraction (XRD) to identify the presence of amorphous phase, in addition to Optical Microscopy (OM) to evaluate the aesthetic characteristics. The performance of the developed sample did not reach the desired level, mainly due to the problem of cracking and bubbles. The search for a ceramic glaze formulation with ideal characteristics remains a challenge, and future research may consider optimizing formulation components, adjusting firing temperatures, and refining application techniques to achieve the desired results.