TiO2-based glass-ceramic coatings: An innovative approach to architectural panel applications

Exterior claddings are used for architectural purposes primarily for practical and esthetic reasons. Panels are subjected to a variety of impacts, including chemical, and ultraviolet radiation, and are intended to survive them. In this study, the color, gloss, chemical and UV resistance, impact resistance, and surface tension of glass-ceramic (GC) coated steel panels and other products on the market, such as conventional ceramic wall tiles, glass, and aluminum panels, are compared. Three different types of GC powders were prepared: opaque, semi-transparent, and transparent. Each GC powder was applied to a pre-coated steel substrate. Chemical resistance was excellent in all samples, however, only the GC-coated steel panels and the aluminum panels satisfied the impact resistance criteria. A UV test was performed to ensure that surface characteristics such as gloss, color, and surface tension were stable in the presence of UV light. The aluminum gives alerts the most color shift (∆E ≈ 1.2), whereas the GC-coated steel panels showed just ∆E ≈ 0.2. The gloss values of the samples did not change significantly much. Furthermore, when compared to the other products, GC-coated samples had the lowest weight and the greatest performance.