Estudio del efecto fotocrómico que presentan los vidriados opacificados por esfena

Abstract

White glazes opacified by sphene, based on the system SiO2-CaO-TiO2, are an alternative to the glazes in which the opacifying phase is zircon. However, it has been observed that this type of glaze displays photochromism (reversible change of colour after exposure to a light source), involving the appearance of a yellowish shade after the glaze has been subjected to sunlight for several hours, which then disappears after a few days. This effect has led to limited use of this type of glaze. In this study, a method of quantifying the photochromic effect by means of a UV light source is established. The microstructural characterisation of glazes with a pronounced tendency to display a photochromic effect has allowed the possible causes of the photochromic effect to be determined. Finally, a series of tests have been conducted that show that the photochromic effect is related to the impurities present in the glaze, as well as to the type and quantity of crystalline phases contained in the glaze