Investigation of the use of nano-titanium dioxide particles synthesized by reflux method as a whitener agent in standard porcelain tiles

Abstract

The effects of adding zircon and synthesized TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) to standard porcelain tiles on mechanical and optical properties were studied. The obtained TiO₂ nanoparticles had an average particle size of 7.47 nm. The optical properties of TiO₂ NPs were characterized by using UV–visible spectrophotometer. The synthesized TiO₂ NPs and commercial zircon were added to standard porcelain tile composition at a rate of 1%, 2% and 4% by weight. Phase analyzes of the samples were made with XRD, and microstructure analyzes were made with SEM/EDS. Optical dilatometer test was used for sintering studies and densification behaviour was observed with water absorption test. The optical behaviour of the samples was analyzed using spectrophotometric measurements (CIELab method). As a result of this test, it was observed that nano-sized titanium oxide can be used as a whitening agent in porcelain tiles. In addition, the additives made to porcelain tiles also contributed to the increase in mechanical properties.