Influence of Some Parameters on the Synthesis of ZrO2 Nanoparticles by Heating of Alcohol-aqueous Salt Solutions

Parameters that influence ZrO2 (3-mol% Y2O3 stabilized) nanoparticles prepared by heating of alcohol-aqueous salt solutions were investigated. It revealed that the kind of alcohol used significantly affected the particle size and morphology of the as synthesized nano-ZrO2 powders. The ratio of alcohol to water (R/H) was also important to conduct the gelation process. The dispersion and sintering behavior of the powder could be optimized via aging. By carefully controlling the process, weakly agglomerated ZrO2 nanoparticles with an average particle size of 13-nm (TEM) were achieved. The classical DLVO theory was employed to clarify the effect of solvent on powder morphology, an aging mechanism was proposed as well