Nanoparticle formation in the synthesis of nanostructured fibres and powders of refractory oxides

Abstract

Processes for fabricating of nanostructured fibrous materials from alumina and zirconia are studied with the aim to develop a production technology of high-dispersed reactive materials, from which ceramics can be produced and which can be used as composite fillers. The investigations of these processes have enabled one to establish a mechanism for the formation of the structure of fibrous oxides with a complex architecture involving metal oxide nanoparticles, nanopores and microcapillaries. Relying on the calculations of metal oxide crystallite sizes and the electron microscope studies, it is found that crystallographic transformations of oxides cause them to disperse. Structural changes in fibrous oxides are accompanied by the porosity and pore size. The obtained regularities allow one to predict the properties and to control the production technology of nanostructured fibrous oxide materials.