CERAMICS INTERNATIONAL, cilt.42, sa.15, ss.17222-17228, 2016 (SCI-Expanded)
Iznik tiles were reproduced in laboratory-controlled conditions using two different lustre pastes at the firing temperatures of 615 degrees C and 650 degrees C. The lustre layers were characterised by WDXRF, XRD, SEM, UV-vis-NIR, XPS, HRTEM-EDS techniques. They comprised nanoparticles of silver and/or copper which appeared either as Cu2O or Cu+, Cu2+ dissolved in the glassy matrix by ionic exchange between Ag+ and/or Cu+ and alkaline ions (Na+ and/or K+) from the glaze, diffusion of the metal ions followed by nucleation and growth in a reducing atmosphere. Metallic silver nanoparticles grew with increasing temperature, as observed from absorption spectra and TEM micrographs. As the nanoparticle size increased, the surface plasmon resonance was slightly blue-shifted for silver. TEM images revealed the silver nanoparticles in sizes varying between 3 nm and 13 nm depending on temperature and paste composition. These results are compatible with calculations based on UV-visible absorbance spectra. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.