Preparation and characterization of monoclinic rod-shaped ZrO2 whiskers via sulfate flux

Monoclinic rod-shaped ZrO2 whiskers were prepared in liquid conditions using a sulfate flux with ZnSO4 and Na2SO4 in an alumina crucible. TG-DSC, XRD, SEM, TEM, HRTEM, SAED and EDS were employed to characterize the structure, morphology and growth mechanism of the as-synthesized whiskers. The results demonstrated that both the heating temperature and holding time influence the formation of ZrO2 whiskers. When the heating temperature and holding time were 900 °C and 30 min, the ZrO2 whiskers were elongated along the [01¯1] direction, had an average length and diameter of 600 nm and 70 nm, and exhibited a well-crystallized, one-dimensional structure and smooth surface with no distinct defects. The growth of the whiskers was dominated by the liquid-solid (LS) growth mechanism, affording anisotropic growth through dissolution/recrystallization.