Preparation and characterization of monodisperse zirconia spherical nanometer powder via lamellar liquid crystal template method

Cubic phase spherical zirconia nano-powder was prepared by a direct template route in the lamellar liquid crystal formed by polyoxyethylene tert-octylphenyl ether (Triton X-100)/sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)/H2O. The precursor powder and zirconia powder were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, TG/DSC, TEM, and SEM methods. Results show that the stability of the lamellar liquid crystal is controlled by NH3 · H2O concentration. The size of nanoparticles is greatly affected by NH3 · H2O and ZrOCl2 · 8H2O concentrations. The zirconia nanoparticles show narrow particle size distribution of 10–30 nm.

Graphical abstractThe synthesis of zirconia particles in the lamellar liquid crystal is related to the fact that ZrOCl2 · 8H2O and NH3 · H2O are water-soluble and can exist in the solvent layer of the lamellar liquid crystal. Under vibration, they react and produce zirconia precursor particles in the lamellar liquid crystal solvent layer. The size of zirconia precursor particles should be controlled and limited by this thickness.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide