Formulation and characterization of black ceramic ink for a digital ink-jet printing

Formulation of black ceramic ink and its ink-jet printability on a glass substrate were investigated. The thermal and chemical stabilities of CoFe2-xCrxO4 and Ni0.925Mn0.075Fe1.875-xCrxMn0.125O4 black inorganic pigments were analyzed with various amounts of Cr substitutions. The ceramic ink was prepared using the pigment composition that demonstrated color stability during the high temperature glazing process with a minimal Cr substitutional amount. After the dispersion stability and rheological property were optimized, the ceramic ink was suitably jetted from a print head as a single sphere-shaped droplet without satellite droplets. To improve the printability of the ceramic ink, the glass substrate was treated with a perfluorooctyl trichlorosilane (PFTS) solution. As a result, the PFTS surface treatment increased the contact angle of the ceramic ink droplets on the glass substrate and effectively minimized the ink spreading phenomena.