Zhiguo Zhou

Novel Ti _1-x Fe _x O ₂ pigments ( x =   0-0.2) were successfully synthesized via the sol-gel method. Fe³⁺ doping preserved the rutile phase structure of TiO ₂ while suppressing crystal growth; as the Fe content increased, the color of the pigments gradually transitioned from light red to deep red and further to reddish-brown. Among them, Ti _0.9 Fe _{0. 1} O ₂ calcined at 700 ℃ exhibited the optimal red hue ( a * =   25.7), while Ti _0.95 Fe _{0. 0 5} O ₂ treated at 800 ℃ demonstrated the best near-infrared reflectance performance (73.62 %). All samples showed notably higher reflectance in the NIR range compared to a commercial iron-oxide pigment of similar color (44.25 %). Furthermore, chromatic property tests after acid/alkali corrosion, together with thermogravimetric-differential scanning calorimetry analysis, confirmed the good chemical and thermal stability of this series of pigments. These energy-saving pigments show promising potential for application in high-efficiency energy-efficient building materials such as solar heat-reflective functional artificial stones.

In architectural decoration, inorganic artificial stone has become a widely used material. However, it suffers from limited surface performance and functional simplicity. In this study, tourmaline was modified to enhance its negative-ion release capacity. The modified negative ion powder was used as a filler to prepare a negative ion-type UV curable coating (UVCC), which was then applied to the surface of artificial stone to obtain a negative ion-functional inorganic artificial stone. The results show that when 30 % by mass of CeO ₂ is added to 1200-mesh tourmaline powder, the negative ion release capacity of the composite powder increases from 197 ions/cm ³ to 586 ions/cm ³ . After heat treatment at 900 ℃ for 1 hour, the negative ion release capacity of the composite powder further rises to 828 ions/cm ³ . When 15 % of the modified negative ion powder is incorporated into the basic UVCC formula, the prepared negative ion-type UVCC coating enables the artificial stone to achieve a negative ion release capacity of over 500 ions/cm ³ , with a coating gloss higher than 90°, a hardness of 4 H, and an adhesion of grade 1. This work successfully improves both surface properties and health functionality, broadening the application potential of inorganic artificial stone.