Synthesis of ZrO2/ZrW2O8 composites with low thermal expansion

In this work, ZrO2/ZrW2O8 composites with very low thermal expansion coefficient were successfully synthesized. The negative thermal expansion material ZrW2O8 which was synthesized by combustion method was mixed with ZrO2 at various ratios and sintered at 1473 K for 24 h. The thermal expansion of the composites can be controlled, being positive, negative or even zero, the composite shows almost zero thermal expansion when the volume fraction of ZrW2O8 is 37%. Small amount of Al2O3 additive can increase the density of the composites rapidly with slight effects on the thermal expansion property by forming solid solution and liquid phase.