Low Temperature Luminescent Enamels For Glass Art Applications

A liaison between art and science was explored. The discovery and use of new knowledge, with a close relationship between scientists and artists, was encouraged through the development of novel materials, such as luminescent glass enamels. The use of materials with special optical properties is commonly explored in contemporary glass art and design. Over the centuries, many artists have used glass to produce unique objects, but the luminescence effect in glass is being explored only recently. Luminescent glasses are usually produced by using anemissive center in the batch composition; therefore, all the glass bulk is luminescent. The application of luminescent coatings in the final phase of glass production can be more advantageous, saving time, effort, and costs. These coatings can be applied at temperatures near the glass transition temperature, avoiding glass deformation. Novel luminescent glass enamels that can be fired at low temperatures, ranging from 550 to 630ºC, with an appropriate consistency for glass painting is here presented. Five enamels were obtained by using as emissive centers several lanthanide oxides that under UV light showed different luminescent colours. The combination of these enamels gave rise to a diversified colour palette. Several luminescent coloured enamels under daylight were also produced by doping the developed enamels with 3 d transition metals to enlarge the palette of products to paint on glass. The produced enamels were applied on different glass substrates to study their potential in future artworks. The developed objects and art works illustrate the dichotomy between transparency and opacity, monochrome and polychrome and their application into fine arts and architectural glass.

Keywords: luminescent glass; low firing enamels; lanthanides; colour palette, glass art, art and science