Preparation and properties of the AEO9/alcohol/alkane/water reverse microemulsion ceramic inks

Reverse microemulsion method was applied and the AEO9/alcohol/alkane/water system was chosen to prepare ceramic inks for forming by jet-printing. The ceramic inks were prepared by reaction after mixing the zirconium oxychloride and ammonia reverse microemulsions homogeneously through vigorous stirring. The physicochemical properties of the ZrO2 ceramic inks were systematically determined and discussed based on the requirements of the ink-jet printers available. They generally met the requirements for the drop on demand printers and were adjusted and improved by adding a small amount of alcohol and inorganic electrolyte to meet the demands for continuous ink-jet printers. It was shown that the ceramic ink with viscosity below 18 mPa s and conductivity close to 100 mS m−1 was obtained after modification. Transmission electron microscope observation showed that ZrO2 nanoparticles in the reverse microemulsion were very well dispersed and the stability of the inks was excellent. Besides, several ceramic ink compositions with bicontinuous structure were specially designed based on the phase diagram, and the changes of water-dissolving amount into the system was investigated aiming to increase the concentration of ZrO2 ceramic ink.