Synthesis of nano-crystalline NiO-YSZ by microwave-assisted combustion synthesis

Nano-crystalline NiO-YSZ composite powders have been successfully prepared by microwave-assisted combustion of a gel derived from an aqueous solution containing ZrO(NO3)2·6H2O ,Y(NO3)3·6H2O, Ni(NO3)2·6H2O and glycine. The as-prepared powders were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) techniques. It was found that the process took only a few seconds to obtain NiO-YSZ composite powders. The as synthesized composite powder was a homogeneous mixture of YSZ, NiO and Ni phases with crystallite size of 24.2, 33.6 and 25.3 nm respectively.

Graphical abstractBy using solution combustion synthesis method and microwave irradiation, nanocrystalline NiO-YSZ powder was prepared successfully. Microwave heating promotes a simultaneous reaction in the volume of the gel. The process took only a few seconds to obtain very homogenous nanocrystalline NiO-YSZ composite powder with rather homogeneous agglomerate size distribution. This method is an economical method with respect to energy, time and simplicity.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide