Would you like to own a unique mug featuring your own image? A color-changing mug can make this happen. When hot or warm water is poured into the mug, the designs on its exterior shift in response to the temperature, revealing the images you've chosen. Let's explore the science behind these color-changing mugs.
Principle 1: The mug consists of an inner and an outer vessel arranged coaxially, with a space between their bases containing a heat-sensitive, volatile, color-changing liquid. The outer wall of the inner vessel features intricate, hollowed-out patterns that connect to this cavity. When hot water is poured into the mug, the heat-sensitive liquid changes color and flows into these patterns, causing the designs to appear on the mug's surface-offering both aesthetic appeal and artistic enjoyment.
Principle 2: These mugs are created using a thermal transfer process. First, a special transparent resin coating is applied to the surface of the ceramic item. A design is printed onto specialized paper using a printer loaded with thermal-sublimation ink; then, through the application of heat and pressure, the image is transferred onto the coated ceramic or glass surface. Color-changing mugs utilize heat-sensitive, thermochromic ink. Because this color-change process is reversible, the substance is also known as "reversible thermochromic (decolorizing) ink." As the temperature rises, the underlying design is revealed.
