Effect of iron oxide content on the crystallisation of a diopside glass-ceramic glaze

The effect of iron oxide content on the crystallisation of a diopside glass-ceramic glaze was investigated using a glass-ceramic frit in the K2O-ZnO MgO CaO-Al2O3-SiO2 system and a granite waste glass. Measurements by X-ray diffraction (XRD) combined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and EDX microanalysis showed that the distribution of Fe3+ ions among different crystalline phases such as franklinite (ZnFe2O4) and hematite Fe2O3 depends on the iron content in the original diopside mixture. Thus, the original glaze crystallises to franklinite or hematatite when iron content is greater than 2 and 15%, respectively. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.