This project aims to develop 100% ceramic tableware compatible with induction cooking. The products, such as pots and pans, will be based on culinary stoneware, into which ferromagnetic ceramic materials will be incorporated, allowing the cookware to be heated by the magnetic field generated by the induction hob. The goal is to introduce an innovative product to the market, following current trends in kitchenware, marked by the increasing use of induction hobs in modern kitchens and a growing preference for alternative products made from lighter, eco-friendly ceramic materials.
The development will focus on introducing ferromagnetic properties into culinary stoneware products through the incorporation of selected ferrites into a wide range of iron(III)-oxide-based ferromagnetic ceramics. The research will be guided, on one hand, by the study of ferrite incorporation compatible from a physicochemical and technological standpoint with the stoneware material, and on the other hand, by the application of a ferrite layer to the interior of the piece using a technological process optimized for this purpose, based on traditional forming techniques.
At the end of the project, the aim is to obtain functional prototypes of composite ceramic pieces, resulting from the optimization of technological processes and base materials, supported by studies evaluating energy performance and verifying the preservation of the products’ native properties.
To achieve these results, the consortium will be composed of a multidisciplinary and complementary team. GRESTEL, a producer of utilitarian tableware, will lead a team that brings together the Ceramic and Glass Technology Center, with expertise in material development and testing of new products in the Habitat field, and CICECO, recognized for its technological development work with advanced ceramic materials.
Specific Results:
Products were produced that can be sold and used with induction heating systems, although the initially defined strategy was modified. Initially, the approach was based on the use of ceramic materials (ferrites) as additives in the clay body or applied as a layer on the products to provide induction heating capability, but this did not produce the expected results. The strategy was then changed to using decals and applying a layer of silver to the base of the pieces.
Grestel contributed to the development of solutions that enabled stoneware pieces to gain induction heating capability.
New designs were developed, adapted to the application of these solutions, allowing the products to be used with induction.
