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INDUSTRIAL ADAPTION OF RED GLASSES COLOURED BY PIGMENTS OF MOLYBDENUM CHALCOGENIDE (P9908)

The aim is to adapt to the industry the results of a postgraduate work, which has resulted in new possibilities to colour silicate glass red.

Background
The most solid known pigment, which can be used to colour glass red is cadmium-based. However, cadmium should be avoided because of environmental reasons. Since summer 2002 a postgraduate project is going on at Växjö University, investigating different possibilities to colour alkaline silicate glass red. Both mechanisms and structural chemistry are investigated of former known red colouring pigments based on gold and copper. Furthermore quite new pigments are examined, which could give the red colour.

A study, which is both scientifically and industrially interesting, shows that red colour arises when molybdenum chalcogenides are added to the glass in a reduced atmosphere. The scientific part of the study is not yet quite ready. There will be a structural description of the pigment character.

In the postgraduate project it was not investigated whether the concept is applicable to industrial production. Therefore this project will examine if the results can be applicable to industrial glass production without causing disturbances in process or environment.

Realisation
Glasses have been melted with different raw materials, which should give a red colour. These glasses are judged and sorted visually by way of introduction. The combinations that give a red colour are further characterised by UV/VIS spectrophotometry.

Industrial glasses are a little more complex than the glass system, which has been used in the postgraduate work. Selenium, molybdenum, and the reduction agent are examined and the most suitable content to form red glass is determined.

The project will continue 2004 and will be finished with a test in industrial scale.

An article from KTH (The Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm)
The nano-technical research on red glasses is reported in an article from KTH. Project leader is the postgraduate student Torun Bring. The article “Between molecule and material” can be read here in swedish.


CURRENT PROJECTS