Synthesis and characterization of zirconia- and silica-doped zirconia nanopowders by oxalate processing

Zirconia- and silica-doped zirconia nanopowders with 5, 10, 15 and 20 wt.% have been prepared by oxalate processing. DTA confirms the formation of tetragonal to monoclinic zirconia takes place at higher temperature in the presence of silica. X-ray diffraction analysis indicates that the monoclinic content decreases with increase in silica content. FT-IR has been used to elucidate the presence of Si–O–Si network in silica-doped zirconia nanopowders. The TEM image indicates that the zirconia nanoparticle size decreases with increase in silica content with a mean size of 15–40 nm.