Antibacterial Porcelain Enamel (2) - Applicability of Antibacterial Agents to Enamel
Release time:
2026-07-17 16:02
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2. Applicability of antibacterial agents to enamel
Table 1 shows the composition of the antibacterial agent, and Table 2 shows the grinding ratio of the enamel slurry.
Table 1 Antibacterial agent composition
Serial Number | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
Main agent | silver | Zinc | copper | Zinc | Zinc | silver | silver |
carrier | Zirconium phosphate | Synthetic mica
| Synthetic mica
| Magnesium oxide and aluminum oxide | magnesium oxide
| Titanium oxide
| Insoluble phosphates |
Table 2 Grinding ratio of enamel slurry
grinding material | frit | clay | Antibacterial agents
| Potassium chloride | water |
Amount added (wt%)
| 100 | 6 | 3 | 0.2 | 50 |
Table 3 Results of the application of antibacterial agents to enamel
Serial Number | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
Escherichia coli
| <10
| 2.5 x 10⁶ | <10
| 2.0 x 10⁶ | 3.0 x 10⁶ | < 12 | < 10 | 2.1 x 10⁶ |
Staphylococcus aureus
| <10
| 3.1 x 10⁵ | <10
| 2.1 x 10⁵ | 1.4 x 10⁵ | < 12 | < 10 | 3.4 x 10⁵ |
Enamel surface after firing | White light | White with no luster | Green and dark | White light | White light | Brownish-brown glossy | Brownish-brown glossy | White light |
The enamel slurry, milled and polished, was applied to 5cm cube specimens. After drying, it was fired at 820°C. The fired samples were used to test their antibacterial properties. The antibacterial effects of various samples against *Escherichia coli* and *Staphylococcus aureus*, tested using the thin-film method, are listed in Table 3. Item 8 in Table 3 represents ordinary enamel frit without added antibacterial agent. The numbers of *Escherichia coli* and *Staphylococcus aureus* in the table represent the number of bacteria remaining on the surface after the test.
Antibacterial agents added in samples 2, 4, and 5 are zinc, while sample 8 contains no antibacterial agent. Based on the data, they have no antibacterial effect. Antibacterial agents primarily composed of silver and copper (samples 1, 3, 6, and 7) exhibit antibacterial activity on enamel surfaces.
Antibacterial agent No. 3, which uses mica as a carrier, produces a enamel slurry with poor fluidity, resulting in a dull surface after firing.
No. 6 is made by adsorbing silver on the surface of titanium oxide as an antibacterial agent, and the surface of the porcelain enamel turns brown after firing.
No. 7 uses a silver antibacterial agent with insoluble layered phosphate as a carrier, which reduces the fluidity of the enamel slurry and turns the porcelain enamel surface into a tea color after firing.
No. 1 uses a silver antibacterial agent with zirconium phosphate as a carrier, which is relatively expensive.
The above antibacterial agents are all suitable for enamel. However, their high cost reduces the competitiveness of enamel products. For enamel products, it is necessary to provide antibacterial properties while keeping the price reasonable. Therefore, price must be carefully considered in future development and research.
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