Phase development of the ZrO 2–ZnO system during the thermal treatments of amorphous precursors

Abstract

Thermal behavior of the amorphous precursors of the ZrO 2–ZnO system on the ZrO 2-rich side of the concentration range, co-precipitated from aqueous solutions of the corresponding salts, was monitored using X-ray powder diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry, differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. The crystallization temperature of the amorphous precursors increased with an increase in the ZnO content, from 457 °C (0 mol% ZnO) to 548 °C (25 mol% ZnO). Maximum solubility of Zn 2+ ions in the ZrO 2 lattice (∼25 mol%) occurred in the metastable products obtained upon crystallization of the amorphous precursors. Raman spectroscopy indicates that the incorporation of Zn 2+ ions can partially stabilize only the tetragonal ZrO 2. A precise determination of unit-cell parameters of the t-ZrO 2-type solid solutions, using both Rietveld and Le Bail refinements of the powder diffraction patterns, shows that the increase in the Zn 2+ content causes a decrease in c-ax, which in a solid solution with a Zn 2+ content above 20 mol% approaches very closely a-ax. The thermal treatment of the crystallization products (up to 1000 °C) leads to a rapid decrease in the terminal solid solubility limit of Zn 2+ ions in the ZrO 2 lattice that is followed by the partial evaporation of zinc, the formation of and increase in phases structurally closely related to zincite and monoclinic ZrO 2. The results of micro-structural analysis indicate that the presence of ZnO promotes the sintering of the ZrO 2 crystallization products.