Synthesis, characterization and application of submicron ZrSiO4 powder via sol-gel-microemulsion-hydrothermal method

Abstract

High-performance submicron ZrSiO4 powder is prepared by a sol-gel-microemulsion-hydrothermal method (S-G-M-H). In this method, the transformation from sol to gel is constrained in the droplets of the microemulsion and accelerated by the hydrothermal process. The interface change of sol/oil to gel/oil makes the emulsion automatic demulsificate without demulsifiers, which means that the organic solvents can be recycled. The preparation process is low-cost and environmentally friendly. The results show that the synthesized ZrSiO4 powder owns the optimized median diameter (D50) of 0.67 μm under the optimized preparation condition of hydrothermal treatment at 150 °C for 7 h. The ZrSiO4 particles are the agglomeration of the primary particles with a size of about 100 nm. As an opacifier, 15 wt% submicron ZrSiO4 powder added give a whiteness value of 85 to the opaque glaze, which is significantly better than commercial ZrSiO4 powder with the same amount added. Meanwhile, the obtained submicron powder has excellent sintering activity. After sintered at 1300 °C for 2 h, the ZrSiO4 pellets has the density of 4.32 g cm−3 and the porosity of 0.31%.