Preparation of ZrO2 whiskers through high pressure and high temperature method

• ZrO2 whiskers are synthesized at 15 GPa, 1800 °C.
• As-prepared ZrO2 whiskers are colorless and transparent.
• They exhibited some regular and irregular shaped cross sections.
• The aspect ratio of ZrO2 whiskers could be from 10 to 100.

ZrO2 whiskers have been successfully synthesized at temperature of 1800 °C and high pressure of 15 GPa, using ZrO2 powder as the starting material. After a high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) process, a bunch of long and idiomorphic ZrO2 whiskers are obtained. The grown whiskers look like needles, and have silky luster. They are colorless and transparent, and exhibit hexagonal, triangular, quadrilateral, and irregular shaped cross sections. Through this HPHT method, whiskers with various diameters from 10 to 20 μm, and length from 200 to 1000 μm can be produced. The aspect ratio of length to diameter can be from 10 to 100. Growth mechanism of the ZrO2 whiskers prepared under HPHT conditions are discussed, and the ZrO2 whiskers growth may undergo a vapor–solid process.

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