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.