One-step fabrication of tetragonal ZrO2 particles by atmospheric pressure plasma jet

• This work demonstrates that the tetragonal zirconia particles were prepared by a novel atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ).
• The microstructure of zirconia was found to be an assembly of spherical particles with a tetragonal structure.
• The chemical composition of prepared zirconia particles was analyzed by XPS quantification study with an atomic ratio of O/Zr of 2.03 without nitrate residues.
• APPJ system has a great potential to be a cost-effective and time-saving process for particle production as compared to the wet chemical processes.

A novel atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) was applied to prepare the tetragonal zirconia particles via a solution of zirconyl (IV) nitrate hydrate (ZrO(NO3)2‧xH2O) as the precursor. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The microstructure of zirconia was found to be an assembly of spherical particles with a tetragonal structure. The chemical composition of prepared zirconia particles was analyzed by XPS quantification study with an atomic ratio of O/Zr of 2.03 without nitrate residues. The results based on the one-particle-per-drop mechanism in an APPJ system also showed that the synthesis of tetragonal zirconia particles could be effectively achieved in one-step fabrication without the need for additional stabilizers or annealing process. Meanwhile, APPJ system has a great potential to be a cost-effective and time-saving process for particle production as compared to the wet chemical processes.

In this study, our results confirmed that the initial zirconyl (IV) nitrate precursor was directly decomposed into tetragonal dense zirconia particles due to the evaporation–decomposition of water and nitrate salts via plasma discharge reaction under a normal pressure environment.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide