Thermal synthesis of tetragonal zirconia nanopowders

A new molecular precursor has been used to the synthesis of tetragonal zirconia at the nanoscale using a thermal route. A transparent gel was obtained by heating zirconium butoxide without using any solvent. The gel was subsequently calcinated in an inert atmosphere to form monodispersible powder. Various techniques have been used to characterise the tetragonal zirconia nanoparticles. The UV absorption edge is very sensitive to the particle size, shape and surface morphology. Tetragonal ZrO 2 was obtained at 350 °C with particle size (2 nm) as supported by XRD and TEM studies. It was concluded that the temperature has a significant effect on the surface morphology and in the phase selection. © 2012 American Scientific Publishers. All Rights Reserved.