A polymer complex solution route to the low-temperature synthesis of tetragonal Zr0.88Ce0.12O2 with a reduced amount of organic substance

Abstract

Abstract Powders of composition Zr0.88Ce0.12O2 were synthesized at reduced temperatures (600–800°C) by a polymer complex solution (PCS) method using polyvinylalcohol (PVA) and by the Pechini-type in situ polymerizable complex (IPC) method. Both methods produced transparent organic polymer complex gels without any precipitation, which after heat treatments at temperatures above 600°C converted to a compositionally homogeneous tetragonal form of Zr0.88Ce0.12O2. It was demonstrated that the PVA-based PCS method overcame a weakness of the IPC method; i.e., the amount of organic substance required for the PVA-based PCS method is less than that required for the IPC method by a factor of about 20.