APLICACIÓN DE FEO, ZNO Y CUO COMO PIGMENTOS EN COMPUESTOS CERÁMICOS

Among the most relevant problems of the pottery industry in Boyaca, Colombia, is the absence of a range of uniform shades in their final products. The color, being an easily observable physical property, becomes a distinctive criterion for potential customers seeking a differentiating and cutting-edge product within a constantly changing environment. For that reason, the present work proposed a ceramic compound elaborated from montmorillonite clays and metal oxides such as FeO, CuO and ZnO. The clays were characterized by X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and according to the chemical composition of each clay, the concentrations of metal oxides were determined as coloring agents, which varied from 1 to 8 % (by weight). The ceramic prototypes were shaped by uniaxial pressing method at a constant compaction pressure of 15 MPa, and then sintered at 950 °C for 2 h. RGB histograms were used to analyze the color of the specimens, the results showed significant changes in the pigmentation of the ceramic compound reporting red, brown and white tone. This makes viable the use of these oxides as thermosetting pigments in the production of ceramic products such as roof tiles, tablets and tiles among other ceramic designs, which today can only be found in advanced ceramic shops.