How does calcined zinc oxide achieve performance upgrades and quality improvements in ceramic glazes?
Publish Time: 2025-04-29
In the ceramic manufacturing process, the quality of the glaze is directly related to the appearance, strength and durability of the finished product. As one of the key raw materials in the glaze formula, calcined zinc oxide is becoming an ideal choice in high-end ceramic production due to its excellent physical and chemical properties. It improves the limitations of traditional zinc oxide in terms of specific gravity, fluidity and sintering shrinkage through high-temperature treatment, which not only improves the flatness and glossiness of the glaze, but also effectively reduces the occurrence of defects such as pinholes and cracks.
The core advantage of calcined zinc oxide lies in its stable structure formed after high-temperature treatment. This treatment removes some volatile impurities in the raw materials and promotes the rearrangement of microscopic grains, thereby increasing the density and mechanical strength of zinc oxide. Compared with uncalcined direct or indirect zinc oxide, calcined zinc oxide has a higher specific gravity and better fluidity, which makes it easier to disperse evenly during the glaze mixing process, avoiding local crystallization or color difference problems caused by agglomeration.
In addition, calcined zinc oxide has a significant effect on the thermal expansion performance of ceramic glazes. Due to its purer composition and stronger chemical stability at high temperatures, adding glazes can effectively reduce the linear shrinkage of the glaze layer and reduce the risk of glaze cracking. At the same time, calcined zinc oxide has a melting point of up to 1975℃, and can form a stable silicate network structure with other mineral components during high-temperature firing, enhancing the density and wear resistance of the glaze. This is especially important for products such as daily-use ceramics, sanitary ware, and building tiles, because they need to frequently withstand temperature changes and mechanical friction in daily use.
From the appearance point of view, calcined zinc oxide also helps to improve the overall texture of ceramic products. It has a light yellow hue and can play a role in soft color transition in glazes. It is especially suitable for the development of white glaze, beige glaze and antique glaze series products. More importantly, calcined zinc oxide will not introduce too many impurity ions, avoiding the occurrence of graying and bluish glazes, ensuring the clarity and purity of the finished product color.
It is worth mentioning that although calcined zinc oxide has been strengthened in terms of process, its product quality standards are still consistent with grade zinc oxide, does not contain excessive heavy metals or other harmful components, meets the safety specifications of food contact materials, and is suitable for the production needs of various high-end ceramic products. Whether it is an export-oriented ceramic enterprise or a brand that pays attention to environmental protection and health, it can be safely applied to the design of modern life aesthetics.
In terms of practical application, calcined zinc oxide has been widely used in many fields such as artistic ceramics, industrial ceramics, and electronic ceramics. For example, in artistic ceramics, it helps to shape a delicate and warm glaze effect; in electronic ceramics, it is used in the manufacture of key components such as capacitors and piezoelectric elements due to its high purity and excellent insulation properties; and in the sanitary ware industry, the addition of calcined zinc oxide greatly improves the product's anti-fouling ability and easy cleaning, bringing consumers a better use experience.
Looking to the future, as the ceramic industry develops towards high performance and green environmental protection, the application prospects of calcined zinc oxide will be broader. Combined with new nanotechnology or composite modification methods, it is expected to further expand its functional value, such as enhancing antibacterial properties, thermal conductivity or optical properties, to meet more diversified product needs.
In short, calcined zinc oxide is gradually becoming an important component of high-quality ceramic glazes with its high specific gravity, low shrinkage, good fluidity and excellent glaze effect. It not only solves many problems of traditional zinc oxide in the use process, but also provides solid support for the technological upgrading of the ceramic industry. Let us look forward to this material releasing more potential in the future and promoting ceramic art and technology to new heights.
