The effects of Al and Ba on the colour performance of chromic oxide green pigment

On the basis of the novel hydrogen reduction of chromite ore, an activated sintering method was devised to prepare chromic oxide green pigment. Using XRD, SEM, EDX, ICP-AES, UV and reflectance colorimetry it was found that the colour performance of the synthesized pigment was markedly improved by adding Al and Ba, which resulted in the formation of an Al2O3–Cr2O3 solid solution and a secondary BaCr2O4 phase, respectively, within the pigment. The colour performance of the chromic oxide green pigment doped with 0.1% Al and 0.55% Ba conformed to commercial pigment standards.