Preparation and Properties of AEOg/Alcohol/Alkane/Water Reverse Microemulsion Ceramic Inks

The AEO9/alcohol/alkane/water system, which has excellent water-dissolving characteristics, was chosen for the preparation of ceramic inks. In this paper, different kinds and amounts of alcohols were used to investigate the effects on microemulsion region in the quasi-ternary phase diagram of the system. The microemulsion region was determined and the conditions for the maximum water-dissolving were given. Water for the optimized system of AEO9/alcohol/alkane/water was replaced by zirconium oxychloride solution and ammonia solution respectively and two clear reverse microemulsions were obtained. Then the ceramic inks were readily prepared by reaction after mixing them homogeneously. The properties of the inks, such as viscosity, surface tension, conductivity, stability etc. were systematically determined and analyzed. The match between ink and printer was discussed based on the demands of ink-jet printer available.