Synthesis and chromatic properties of V-doped and V/Y-codoped ZrO2 yellow pigments

In this paper, vanadium ion (V4+) doped ZrO2 pigment (Vx-ZrO2) and vanadium/yttrium ions (V4+/Y3+) co-doped ZrO2 pigment (VxYy-ZrO2) were synthesized via inorganic sol-gel route. The Vx-ZrO2 and VxYy-ZrO2 pigments with the low V4+ content still have excellent color performance, because the gel network is conducive to immobilize coloring ions which to reduce the loss of coloring ions. The results show that the Vx-ZrO2 pigment has the optimal chromatic parameters of L∗ = 68.40, a∗ = 7.93, b∗ = 43.72 when the x-value is 0.04. The measurement of EDS indicates the actual doping amount of V4+ is up to 3.14 mol%. The introduction of Y3+ in a moderate amount can increase the doping amount of V4+ in the V–ZrO2 pigment, because of Y3+ can activate zirconia lattice. Therefore, with the introduction of 1 mol% Y3+ in the ZrO2 lattice, the chromatic parameter of the pigment (i.e. V0.04Y0.01-ZrO2) is optimized to L∗ = 58.57, a∗ = 19.39, b∗ = 40.02, where the actual doping amount of V4+ increased to 3.48 mol%. Meanwhile, there is a synergy/competition mechanism in the process of V4+ and Y3+ co-doped into ZrO2 lattice. After applying on high-temperature ceramic glaze, the V0.04-ZrO2 and V0.04Y0.01-ZrO2 pigment present superior tinting strength, high thermal stability and excellent chemical stability, indicating they are attractive application in ceramic decoration.