Pulverization of Y2O3 nanoparticles by using nanocomposite particles prepared by mechanical treatment

• Nanocomposite particles of Y2O3 and CaCl2 were prepared via mechanical treatment.
• Y2O3 aggregates were successfully pulverized by using nanocomposite particles.
• Dense and homogeneous Y2O3 ceramics were obtained using pulverized nanoparticles.

Nanoparticles are being extensively investigated in industries and academia due to their widespread applications in various areas of science and manufacturing. Unfortunately, nanoparticles easily aggregate. This problem of nanoparticle aggregation creates challenges for various applications. In this study, we focus on using nanocomposite particles prepared via mechanical treatment to pulverize the aggregated Y2O3 nanoparticles. CaCl2 and aggregated Y2O3 nanoparticles were mechanically treated using a process in which high shear and compressive stress are applied to them in order to generate nanocomposite particles. In order to rinse out CaCl2, the nanocomposite particles were then added to distilled water to dissolve the CaCl2 cores, and they were centrifuged before supernatant solution was decanted. The recovered Y2O3 nanoparticles had a significantly smaller particle size and larger specific surface area than the aggregates. Thus, we confirmed that the aggregated Y2O3 nanoparticles were effectively pulverized in a short time by using nanocomposites prepared by mechanical treatment. Further, the relative density of the sintered body prepared from the pulverized Y2O3 nanoparticles was higher than that of the as-received and ball-milled Y2O3 nanoparticles.