Synthesis and characterization of Ce–TZP/Al 2O 3 nanocomposites prepared via aqueous combustion

Abstract

Nanocomposites of Ce–TZP/Al 2O 3 were synthesized by aqueous combustion, and urea, ammonium acetate and glycine were used as mixtures of fuels with the corresponding metal nitrates. Thermodynamic modeling was conducted to anticipate the effect of the alumina content on the exothermicity of the combustion procedure. The thermodynamic properties of the combustion reaction indicated that as the alumina content increased, the amount of gases produced during the reaction increased with a decrease in the adiabatic temperature. Furthermore, to reduce the particle size of the powders, a series of combustion reactions were performed to optimize the fuel composition and alumina content. Ce 0.1Zr 0.9O 2–0.80Al 2O 3 nanocomposites prepared from 80 mol% alumina had a mean particle size of ∼15 nm. Alternatively, samples containing 20 mol% alumina had a mean particle size of ∼30 nm. X-ray diffractometry, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and BET surface area analysis were conducted to characterize the powders.