I’m Harold, a materials chemist in the field of ceramic surface engineering. Today I’ll take you through the microscopic world of ceramic glazes, reveal how UV inkjet technology has broken through the three major taboos of traditional printing, and share the secret formula we discovered by accident during the restoration of cultural relics in the Forbidden City.
You will learn:
- How nano-silica allows the ink to “grab” the vitrified tiles
- UV curing technology solves the problem of color development at high temperatures of 1200°C
- A molecular-level solution to prevent the spread of ceramic pigments
- A special coupling agent formula verified in the restoration of cultural relics
1. The quantum leap in ceramic printing: from screen printing to digital inkjet
The material dilemma behind the resolution revolution
In 2018, when we participated in the Dunhuang mural tile replication project, the 72dpi accuracy of traditional screen printing made us lose 40% of the mural details. After switching to inkjet technology, the 360dpi resolution successfully restored the 0.2mm gold thread pattern of the flying apsaras’ costumes, but new problems followed—
Traditional vs. inkjet performance comparison (based on 2023 industry white paper):
Indicator Screen printing Roller printing Digital inkjet
Maximum resolution 72dpi 150dpi 360dpi
Color reproduction 65% 78% 92
Minimum line width 0.5mm 0.3mm 0.08mm
Production loss rate 12% 8% 3%
2. Breakthrough in the “deadly restricted area”: molecular surgery of UV ink
A practical record of nano-anchoring technology
When we tested it on Jingdezhen vitrified tiles, the adhesion of ordinary UV inks was only 2B (cross-hatching method). By introducing a “molecular anchor” system of 30 nm silica + γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, the adhesion was successfully improved to 5B.
Key formulation breakthrough:
- Framework material: polyurethane acrylate (40%) + epoxy acrylate (25%)
- Nano reinforcement: surface-modified SiO₂ (8%) + ZrO₂ (3%)
- Curing system: ITX (3%) + 907 (2%) + EDAB (0.5%)
- Flow control: TPGDA (15%) + DPGDA (7%)
3. Battle to protect high-temperature color development: quantum code for pigment stability
The road to breaking the curse of red
In 2019, the red glaze of a high-end ceramic tile factory had a color difference of ΔE as high as 7.8 after firing at 1180°C. We used a core-shell coating technique to coat yttria-stabilized zirconia on the surface of the cadmium selenide red pigment, increasing its temperature resistance to 1250°C.
Performance comparison experiment:
- Untreated pigment: begins to decompose at 1175°C, ΔE>5
- Core-shell coated pigment: remains stable at 1250°C, ΔE<1.5
- Dispersion stability: zeta potential increases from ±15mV to ±35mV
- Particle size distribution: D50 decreases from 1.2μm to 0.6μm
4. Future speculation: Can UV ink revive the lost Yaobian Tianmu?
When I used inkjet technology in the lab to reproduce the iridescence of Song Dynasty Yaobian wares, I found three key challenges:
- the directional alignment of metal oxide microcrystals
- the precise stacking of multi-layer glaze structures
- and the prediction of phase change behavior during firing
The magnetic field assisted deposition technology we are experimenting with can achieve preferential orientation of the (110) plane of α-Fe₂O₃ crystals during the inkjet process. Perhaps within five years, modern technology will be able to unlock the quantum code of ancient kiln changes.
My field notes
Last week, when dealing with a slip glaze complaint from a bathroom brand, I found that the conventional surface roughness Ra=3.2μm did not meet safety standards. By adding 20% 150-mesh glass beads to the UV ink, the friction coefficient was successfully increased from 0.35 to 0.68 without affecting the pattern accuracy.
Visualization suggestions
- Microscopic comparison diagram (Alt: SEM comparison of ink layer cross-section before and after nano-anchoring)
- Thermal analysis curve (Alt: DSC-TG analysis of core-shell coated pigment)
- Process flow diagram (Alt: Principle of the magnetically assisted inkjet deposition system)
Interactive challenge:
What are some of the stubborn technical problems you have encountered in ceramic decoration? Describe the most difficult cases in the comments, and I will select the two most representative ones to be disassembled at the molecular level!
(1) UV red ceramic inkjet ink
Polyurethane acrylate 13%
Photoinitiator thinner 50%
907 2%
ITX 1%
Red ceramic pigment 30%
Ink additives 4%
(2) UV yellow ceramic inkjet ink Polyurethane acrylate
Photoinitiator thinner 50%
907 1.5%
1173 0.5%
ITX 1%
Yellow ceramic pigment 34%
Solvent 5%
Ink additives 3%
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| Polythiol/Polymercaptan | ||
| DMES Monomer | Bis(2-mercaptoethyl) sulfide | 3570-55-6 |
| DMPT Monomer | THIOCURE DMPT | 131538-00-6 |
| PETMP Monomer | 7575-23-7 | |
| PM839 Monomer | Polyoxy(methyl-1,2-ethanediyl) | 72244-98-5 |
| Monofunctional Monomer | ||
| HEMA Monomer | 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate | 868-77-9 |
| HPMA Monomer | 2-Hydroxypropyl methacrylate | 27813-02-1 |
| THFA Monomer | Tetrahydrofurfuryl acrylate | 2399-48-6 |
| HDCPA Monomer | Hydrogenated dicyclopentenyl acrylate | 79637-74-4 |
| DCPMA Monomer | Dihydrodicyclopentadienyl methacrylate | 30798-39-1 |
| DCPA Monomer | Dihydrodicyclopentadienyl Acrylate | 12542-30-2 |
| DCPEMA Monomer | Dicyclopentenyloxyethyl Methacrylate | 68586-19-6 |
| DCPEOA Monomer | Dicyclopentenyloxyethyl Acrylate | 65983-31-5 |
| NP-4EA Monomer | (4) ethoxylated nonylphenol | 50974-47-5 |
| LA Monomer | Lauryl acrylate / Dodecyl acrylate | 2156-97-0 |
| THFMA Monomer | Tetrahydrofurfuryl methacrylate | 2455-24-5 |
| PHEA Monomer | 2-PHENOXYETHYL ACRYLATE | 48145-04-6 |
| LMA Monomer | Lauryl methacrylate | 142-90-5 |
| IDA Monomer | Isodecyl acrylate | 1330-61-6 |
| IBOMA Monomer | Isobornyl methacrylate | 7534-94-3 |
| IBOA Monomer | Isobornyl acrylate | 5888-33-5 |
| EOEOEA Monomer | 2-(2-Ethoxyethoxy)ethyl acrylate | 7328-17-8 |
| Multifunctional monomer | ||
| DPHA Monomer | 29570-58-9 | |
| DI-TMPTA Monomer | DI(TRIMETHYLOLPROPANE) TETRAACRYLATE | 94108-97-1 |
| Acrylamide monomer | ||
| ACMO Monomer | 4-acryloylmorpholine | 5117-12-4 |
| Di-functional Monomer | ||
| PEGDMA Monomer | Poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate | 25852-47-5 |
| TPGDA Monomer | Tripropylene glycol diacrylate | 42978-66-5 |
| TEGDMA Monomer | Triethylene glycol dimethacrylate | 109-16-0 |
| PO2-NPGDA Monomer | Propoxylate neopentylene glycol diacrylate | 84170-74-1 |
| PEGDA Monomer | Polyethylene Glycol Diacrylate | 26570-48-9 |
| PDDA Monomer | Phthalate diethylene glycol diacrylate | |
| NPGDA Monomer | Neopentyl glycol diacrylate | 2223-82-7 |
| HDDA Monomer | Hexamethylene Diacrylate | 13048-33-4 |
| EO4-BPADA Monomer | ETHOXYLATED (4) BISPHENOL A DIACRYLATE | 64401-02-1 |
| EO10-BPADA Monomer | ETHOXYLATED (10) BISPHENOL A DIACRYLATE | 64401-02-1 |
| EGDMA Monomer | Ethylene glycol dimethacrylate | 97-90-5 |
| DPGDA Monomer | Dipropylene Glycol Dienoate | 57472-68-1 |
| Bis-GMA Monomer | Bisphenol A Glycidyl Methacrylate | 1565-94-2 |
| Trifunctional Monomer | ||
| TMPTMA Monomer | Trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate | 3290-92-4 |
| TMPTA Monomer | Trimethylolpropane triacrylate | 15625-89-5 |
| PETA Monomer | 3524-68-3 | |
| GPTA ( G3POTA ) Monomer | GLYCERYL PROPOXY TRIACRYLATE | 52408-84-1 |
| EO3-TMPTA Monomer | Ethoxylated trimethylolpropane triacrylate | 28961-43-5 |
| Photoresist Monomer | ||
| IPAMA Monomer | 2-isopropyl-2-adamantyl methacrylate | 297156-50-4 |
| ECPMA Monomer | 1-Ethylcyclopentyl Methacrylate | 266308-58-1 |
| ADAMA Monomer | 1-Adamantyl Methacrylate | 16887-36-8 |
| Methacrylates monomer | ||
| TBAEMA Monomer | 2-(Tert-butylamino)ethyl methacrylate | 3775-90-4 |
| NBMA Monomer | n-Butyl methacrylate | 97-88-1 |
| MEMA Monomer | 2-Methoxyethyl Methacrylate | 6976-93-8 |
| i-BMA Monomer | Isobutyl methacrylate | 97-86-9 |
| EHMA Monomer | 2-Ethylhexyl methacrylate | 688-84-6 |
| EGDMP Monomer | Ethylene glycol Bis(3-mercaptopropionate) | 22504-50-3 |
| EEMA Monomer | 2-ethoxyethyl 2-methylprop-2-enoate | 2370-63-0 |
| DMAEMA Monomer | N,M-Dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate | 2867-47-2 |
| DEAM Monomer | Diethylaminoethyl methacrylate | 105-16-8 |
| CHMA Monomer | Cyclohexyl methacrylate | 101-43-9 |
| BZMA Monomer | Benzyl methacrylate | 2495-37-6 |
| BDDMP Monomer | 1,4-Butanediol Di(3-mercaptopropionate) | 92140-97-1 |
| BDDMA Monomer | 1,4-Butanedioldimethacrylate | 2082-81-7 |
| AMA Monomer | Allyl methacrylate | 96-05-9 |
| AAEM Monomer | Acetylacetoxyethyl methacrylate | 21282-97-3 |
| Acrylates Monomer | ||
| IBA Monomer | Isobutyl acrylate | 106-63-8 |
| EMA Monomer | Ethyl methacrylate | 97-63-2 |
| DMAEA Monomer | Dimethylaminoethyl acrylate | 2439-35-2 |
| DEAEA Monomer | 2-(diethylamino)ethyl prop-2-enoate | 2426-54-2 |
| CHA Monomer | cyclohexyl prop-2-enoate | 3066-71-5 |
| BZA Monomer | benzyl prop-2-enoate | 2495-35-4 |