Preparation and Chromaticity Control of CoTiO(3)/NiTiO(3) Co-Coated TiO(2) Composite Pigments

In this study, home-made amorphous TiO(2) microspheres with good mono-dispersity and large numbers of mesopores on the surface were used as substrates. The intermediate microspheres were obtained by adding Co/Ni sources with different Co/Ni molar ratios in a water bath and making them react by water bath heating. By calcining the intermediate microspheres deposited on the TiO(2) ones, a core–shell structured spherical CoTiO(3)/NiTiO(3) inorganic composite pigment was prepared. The synthesized pigments were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS), laser particle size (LPS) analysis and colorimetry. The results show that when the calcination temperature is 800 °C and the Co/Ni molar ratio is 0.5:0.5, the pigments consist of a TiO(2) core and outer ilmenite CoTiO(3)/NiTiO(3) shell. Moreover, the surface of the product microspheres is smooth, and the particles are of regular sphericity with a uniform particle size of about 1.8 μm. The colorimetric analysis from the samples calcined at 800 °C shows color changes from yellow-green to dark green as the Co/Ni molar ratio increases (0.1:0.9 to 0.9:0.1). A Co/Ni molar ratio that is too high or too low results in the formation of by-products such as Co(3)O(4) or NiO, respectively, which adhere to the product surface and affect the chromaticity of the product. This work has enabled the chromatic modulation of yellow-green inorganic pigments, providing a solution for the preparation of spherical inorganic pigments that are more suitable for industrial inkjet printing.