Effects of Manganese Sulfate on Surface Layer Density and Color of Porcelain

This study investigated the reaction between clay and Mn. Mn was coated using a manganese sulfate on porcelain plate and sintered from 1,100 degrees C to 1,250 degrees C. The body begin to shrink around 950 degrees C with the increase in temperature and rapidly progressed after 1,100 degrees C. Shrinkage of celadon body was performed at a lower temperature than for other substrates. Quartz, kaolin, and feldspar were the main crystalline phases of the starting materials, but they became mullite and crystobalite during the firing process, and some formed amorphous glass. When manganese sulfate was applied and fired, manganese oxide was fused, and some manganese oxide reacted with the substrate to show a dense microstructure different from that of the substrate; the substrate had pores. The manganese coated porcelain fired at 1,200 degrees C had L* values of 55.25, 36.87, and 37.13 for the white ware, celadon body, and white mixed ware, respectively; with a* values of 4.63, 3.07, and 2.15, and b* values of 7.93 and 3.98, it was found to be 3.42. This result indicated that the color of the surface was affected during firing by the chemical reaction between the substrate and manganese.