Synthesis and chromatic properties of high color performance Prx-ZrSiO4 (x = 0–0.1) yellow pigment

In this paper, high color performance Pr cation doped zircon (Pr-ZrSiO4) yellow pigment has been prepared by inorganic sol-gel method. Meanwhile, the detailed process parameters for preparation of Pr-ZrSiO4 pigment were systematically investigated. The research results indicate that the optimal process parameters are Pr-doping amount of 6 mol.%, calcination temperature of 900 °C, holding time of 2 h and Si/Zr ratio of 1.05. The synthesized Pr-ZrSiO4 pigment shows an intense yellow hue, which chromatic parameters are L* = 81.84, a* = 4.36, b* = 70.55 and C* = 70.68. Moreover, the pigment shows outstanding tinting performance for ceramic glaze, suggesting its attractive application in ceramic decoration. XPS analysis demonstrated that the Pr cations in the Pr-ZrSiO4 pigment consists of two valence states, namely trivalent and tetravalent. Finally, heterogeneously distributed behavior of Pr cations in the pigment was discovered.