Low-cost fabrication and physicochemical characterization of ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles as an efficient multifunctional inorganic pigment.

The pursuit of low-cost manufacturing of newly effective pigments is a pressing economic need. Thus, in this work, low-cost ZnFe₂O₄ spinel nanoparticles (ZF-NPs) with an average diameter of 20 nm were successfully synthesized using a simple sol–gel method, which can be extended for large-scale fabrication of a reddish nano pigment. TGA/DTA, XRD, DRS, HRTEM, and SEM/EDX investigations were used to characterize the as-prepared product. The color of synthesized NPs was studied using CIE L*a*b* colorimetric method with color coordinates of L* = 41.7, a* = 72.2, and b* = 48.8. The newly developed pigment was examined to be superior to the traditional pigment (M6001/Fe₂O₃: L* = 30.4, a* = 42.16, and b* = 45.7). After that, the synthesized nano pigment was integrated into both ink and paint formulations as a multifunctional coating. The inclusion of synthesized nano pigment in metal coating printing ink formulation was done to produce a good alternative and cost-effective substitute for the commercially available pigment used in the inks industry. Also, the effect of the fabricated nanoparticles on corrosion resistance and thermal stability of epoxy-based paint formulations was evaluated using different standard tests. Therefore, the ZnFe₂O₄ pigment should be applied as a highly efficient inorganic nano pigment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]