Synthesis of nanocrystalline tetragonal zirconia by inorganic metathesis reaction

Nanocrystalline t-ZrO2 particles (plate-like morphology with crystallite size of ca. 13 nm) have been prepared by a metathesis reaction between ZrO(NO3)2 and NaOH at 150 °C. A reaction scheme comprising hydroxylation and condensation of the zirconium center was proposed to explain the observation. Fine and uniform t-ZrO2 particulates with smaller crystallite size (ca. 11 nm) can be produced by carrying out the same reaction in molten 1,12-diaminododecane.