EFFECT OF ALKALI METAL OXIDES ON THE SURFACE ENERGY OF CERAMIC GLAZE

A transparent ceramic glaze with good apparent quality and water wettability was successfully prepared by adjusting the mass fraction ratio of Na₂O/K₂O and R₂O/Al₂O₃ at 1280 °c. The effects of the Na₂O/K₂O and R₂O/Al₂O₃ ratios on the surface energy and glossiness of the ceramic glaze were studied in the present work. The results show that the mass fraction ratio of Na₂O/K₂O and R₂O/Al₂O₃ showed an obvious effect on the high temperature viscosity and melting temperature of the glaze, the density of the glaze network structure and the number of broken bonds on the glaze. When Na₂O/K₂O=0.8-1.6, R₂O/Al₂O₃=0.8-1.2, the glaze showed a glossiness of 88.3-108.3 with a 0.11%-12% increase, and the surface energy of 70.17-78.5 mJ · m-2 with a 5.62%-29.55% increase, being obviously higher than those of the basic glaze. The greater the surface energy of the glaze was, the greater the polarity component was, and the better the wettability of the water on the glaze was, which would be conducive to improving the antifouling and easy cleaning of ceramic products.