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Characterization of nanocrystalline ZrO2 doped with Rare-Earth elements synthesized via High Pressure Hydrothermal Method |
Agnieszka Opalińska , Ewa Grzanka , Roman Pielaszek , Witold Łojkowski |
Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of High Pressure Physics (UNIPRESS), Sokolowska 29/37, Warszawa 01-142, Poland |
Abstract |
Zirconia is an important ceramic material with useful mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. Nanocrystalline zirconia powders doped with rare-earth (RE) elements have been successfully prepared via microwave hydrothermal process. The microwave driven hydrothermal synthesis permits to precisely control the reaction regime and in consequence provides expected properties of the resulting nanocrystalline powders. Using this method powders with the average grain size 5-10 nm with different dopant (e.g. Eu, Nd, Lu, Gd, Tb) in the range 1 -10 mol% can be obtained. The aim of this investigation is to evaluate a fundamental characteristics of the nanopowders: grain size, grain size distribution, density, phase composition (relative fraction of the monoclinic and tetragonal phases), lattice parameters for both phases and luminescence properties as a function of element and concentration of the RE dopant in ZrO2 nanopowders. |