Hebei Messi Biology Co., Ltd. states that magnesium carbonate has multiple applications in ceramic glazes, specifically as follows:
1. Fluxing Action
- Lowering Firing Temperature: At high temperatures, magnesium carbonate decomposes into magnesium oxide and carbon dioxide. Magnesium oxide acts as a flux, promoting the melting of the glaze and the sintering of the ceramic body, which can significantly reduce the firing temperature of ceramics, typically by 50°C-200°C.
- Shortening Firing Time: By lowering the firing temperature, the firing time for ceramics is correspondingly reduced, thereby increasing production efficiency and lowering production costs.
2. Adjusting Glaze Properties
- Adjusting Chemical Composition: By adding magnesium carbonate and adjusting its dosage, the overall chemical composition of the glaze can be optimized, bringing the glaze’s performance to its best state and meeting the demands of various ceramic products.
- Regulating Thermal Expansion Coefficient: Magnesium carbonate can adjust the glaze’s thermal expansion coefficient, allowing it to better match that of the ceramic body. This reduces problems such as glaze crazing or peeling caused by thermal expansion and contraction, thus improving the quality and stability of ceramic products.
- Controlling Glaze Fluidity: Magnesium carbonate particles are fine and uniform, capable of forming a stable suspension system within the glaze. This enhances the glaze’s fluidity, allowing for more even and smooth application during coating, which helps achieve a flat and glossy glaze surface.
3. Improving Glaze Quality
- Enhancing Glossiness: Magnesium carbonate has a high refractive index and can form a uniform, dense film on the glaze surface, causing light to undergo total internal reflection. This significantly enhances the glossiness and three-dimensional feel of the glaze, improving the aesthetic quality of ceramic products.
- Increasing Hardness and Wear Resistance: Magnesium carbonate reacts chemically with other components in the glaze to form a dense crystalline structure, making the glaze surface harder and more wear-resistant, thereby extending the service life of ceramic products.
- Improving Opacity: In opaque glazes, especially zirconium opaque glazes, magnesium carbonate can be used to control the crystallization size of zircon, thereby increasing the glaze’s opacity, enhancing decorative effects, and allowing ceramic products to present unique visual effects.
4. Creating Special Effects
- When preparing crackled glazes, the hydrolytic properties of magnesium carbonate can be utilized to create differences in shrinkage ratios, thereby producing cracks.