Production of a stable and homogeneous colloid dispersion of nano CoAl2O4 pigment for ceramic ink-jet ink

Different types of nano-CoAl2O4 pigments were prepared by controlling concentration of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) as double capping agents in a co-precipitation process. The prepared nano-CoAl2O4 pigments were characterized by TGA, UV spectroscopy, and XRD. The optimum synthesized nano pigment was well dispersed into de-ionized water to form the ink. Rheology, surface tension and DLS of the prepared ink were examined. The prepared ink was printed onto a ceramic substrate. The printing process was repeated 1, 3 and 5 times in order to evaluate variations in the optical properties by changing thicknesses of the printed film. Appearance of the printed image and morphology of the prepared nano-pigments were observed by SEM. Moreover, shape and size of the nano-particles in the prepared ink were investigated by TEM. The obtained results revealed that the ink-jet printing method can be used to produce a nano-film of pigments on the ceramic.