Creating a ‘Crackle’ Decorative Effect in Ceramic Glaze Using a Bio-Based Precursor
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study is devoted to the experimental and analytical investigation of the mechanism underlying the formation of the ‘black crackle’ decorative effect on the surface of ceramic glaze, which arises as a result of the thermochemical transformation of a bio-derived organic precursor under reducing conditions. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of the thermal conversion products of the bio-precursor on the phase composition, microstructure, local distribution of elements and optical properties of the ceramic glaze, as well as to establish the mechanism underlying the formation of the decorative effect. The experimental programme covered various combinations of temperature, storage time and the amount of bioprecursor, using the Taguchi method. The resulting samples were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM–EDS), and spectrophotometric measurements using the CIELAB system. The results of X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) showed that the decoration process did not lead to any significant change in the composition of the main crystalline phase of the glaze. FTIR spectroscopic analysis revealed chemical changes consistent with carbonization resulting from the thermal degradation of the bioprecursor. SEM-EDS observations showed that the carbonized products are distributed unevenly across the entire surface and are mainly localized in individual microzones of the craquelure network. Spectrophotometric results confirmed a reduction in brightness and an increase in the total color difference in the decorated samples. An integrated analysis of the results showed that the black crackle decorative effect is formed not through the formation of a new crystalline phase, but through the local accumulation of carbonized products in specific areas of the crackle network—products formed as a result of the thermochemical transformation of the bio-precursor under reducing conditions—and the optical contrast created thereby. The proposed approach opens up new scientific and technological prospects for the use of bio-waste as a functional precursor in the decoration of ceramic surfaces.
Source: Ceramics
Language: English
Subfield: Ceramics and Composites
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,930
OpenAlex ID: W7213269163