S. Kowalak and A. Zywert
Published online 13 May 2011
Clay Minerals 2011 46: 197-204
Pigments similar to the famous Maya Blue were prepared by entrapment of indigo inside the channels of natural zeolites such as clinoptilolite and mordenite. The zeolites were mixed and ground with indigo and then heated at 150°C. Surplus (unbound) dye was removed by solvent extraction or by vacuum sublimation. As is the case when synthetic zeolites are used as matrices, the colouration of the resulting pigments could be modified by the previous cation exchange of the zeolite.
