Effect of ZnO particle size on the sintering behavior, phase evolution, and optical properties of transparent borosilicate glazes

Raziyeh Salami; Aida Faeghinia; Zahra Khakpour; Mohammad Zakeri

doi:10.53063/synsint.2026.61300

Raziyeh Salami ¹
Aida Faeghinia ¹
Zahra Khakpour ¹
Mohammad Zakeri ¹

¹ Ceramics Department, Materials and Energy Research Center (MERC), Karaj, Iran

https://doi.org/10.53063/synsint.2026.61300

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of zinc oxide (ZnO) particle size on the properties of SiO₂–Al₂O₃–B₂O₃–ZnO–CaO–K₂O transparent glass–ceramic glazes. Two ZnO sources were employed, including synthesized nano-sized ZnO (~500 nm) and commercial micro-sized ZnO (>1 μm). The results indicate that nano-sized ZnO enhances melting reactivity and modifies the crystallization behavior of the glaze systems compared with micro-sized ZnO. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses revealed differences in phase evolution and crystal morphology depending on ZnO particle size. Nano-sized ZnO promoted finer and more homogeneous crystalline distributions, while micro-sized ZnO resulted in coarser crystalline structures. Furthermore, the optical and surface properties of the glazes were strongly influenced by the balance between densification and crystallization during firing. The results demonstrate that ZnO particle size plays a significant role in controlling the thermal behavior, phase evolution, microstructure, and surface quality of transparent borosilicate glazes.

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Keywords: Zinc oxide, Glass-ceramic glazes, Crystallization behavior, Microstructure evolution, Borosilicate glass system, Transparent ceramics

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