Tetragonal nanocrystalline zirconia powder with high surface area and mesoporous structure
M. Rezaei , S.M. Alavi, S. Sahebdelfar, Zi-Feng Yan
Abstract
Nanocrystalline zirconia powder with high surface area, pure tetragonal phase and mesoporous structure was prepared by a surfactant-assisted route by using Pluronic P123 block copolymer as the surfactant. Zirconia powde r ha s becom e on e o f th e industriall y mos t importan t cerami c material s an d als o a potentia l third-generatio n catalys t suppor t [1 – 4]. ZrO 2 ha s thre e polymorphs : monoclini c (m-phase , belo w 117 0 °C) , tetragona l (t-phase , betwee n 117 0 an d 237 0 °C ) an d cubi c (c-phase , abov e 237 0 °C ) [4,5]. Th e hig h temperatur e cubi c an d tetragona l phase s ca n b e stabilize d a t roo m temperatur e b y incorporatin g dopant s i n th e lattice , e.g .