Production of Ceramic Pigments Based on Natural Wollastonite Using the Gel Method

The authors consider the possibility of producing ceramic pigments based on natural wollastonite using the gel method, which contributes to the formation of an amorphous structure in wollastonite under the effect of hydrochloric acid. The chromophores are soluble salts containing Fe³⁺, Ni²⁺, Cr³⁺, Cu²⁺, and Co²⁺ ions. The wollastonite structure is restored under firing; the color characteristics of pigments after the gel-formation stage improve. The use of the gel method does not require a cardinal modification of the technological scheme and equipment but facilitates a significant improvement of the color properties of pigments and paints.__________Translated from Steklo i Keramika, No. 1, pp. 25 – 27, January, 2005.