Effect of ZrO2 and Al2O3 nanoparticles addition on the fracture toughness of soda lime glass

The present study is focused on the characterization of ZrO2 and Al2O3 nanoparticles synthetized by thermal gelation of a solution of nitrates for self-combustion to increase the mechanical properties of glass containers. The nanoparticles were characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscope and X-ray diffraction, and their chemical compositions were measured employing an Atomic absorption spectrometer and Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) techniques. The results showed the formation of nanoparticles of around 14 nm with a face centered cubic (FCC) structure for the zirconia and orthorhombic structure for the Al2O3 with gamma phase, the TEM images showed the interplanar spacing corresponding to the (111) planes of c_ZrO2 and the family planes {420}, {622} are attributed to the alumina structure. The addition of the NPs increased the fracture toughness of glass up to 24% for ZrO2 and 16% for Al2O3 respectively, which reveals that the nanoparticles are dissolved in the glassy matrix which prevents the formation of stress concentrators that decrease the toughness of the glass.