Influence of gadolinium content on the tetragonal to cubic phase transition in zirconia-silica binary oxides

Abstract

The present study reports the effect of gadolinium (Gd3+) in zirconia-silica (ZrO2-SiO2) binary oxides. The pure ZrO2-SiO2 synthesized at 1100°C was tetragonal. The addition of Gd3+ in the concentration range of 5%–10% resulted in the formation of t-ZrO2, whereas higher contents of Gd3+ led to the formation of cubic ZrO2 (c-ZrO2). The presence of Gd3+ also affected the lattice parameters of both t-ZrO2 and c-ZrO2. Magnetic studies confirmed a steady increase in the paramagnetic behaviour with increasing content of Gd3+.