Solar synthesis of nanostructured zirconia: microstructural and thermal characterization

Abstract

The use of concentrated solar energy in processing ceramic materials is an attractive route to obtain these materials with low CO2 emissions. In this work, nanostructures of monoclinic zirconia (m-ZrO2) were obtained using concentrated solar energy provided by the IER-UNAM solar furnace as a heat source. In the first stage of the process, a Zr/O/C complex was obtained by sol-gel method at a temperature of 120 °C using zirconium n-propoxide and sorbitol as precursors reagents. This complex was used in a second stage to obtain m-ZrO2 by heating it at a temperature of 1200 C for one hour in air atmosphere. This last stage was performed in a solar furnace. Samples were analyzed by characterization techniques: FT-IR, TGA/DSC, XRD, TEM, and SEM confirming the formation of nanostructures of zirconia in monoclinic phase.