Sol-gel Preparation of Zirconium Oxide

INTRODUCTION A sol-gel preparation involves f m t the formation of a sol, which is a suspension of solid particles in a liquid, then of a gel, which is a diphasic material with a solid encapsulating a liquid. The liquid can be removed from a gel by either conventional drying (such as by using an oven) to obtain a plojiict kLown as e xercgel, or hy drying with supercritical extraction (often referred to as supercritical drying for short) to give an aerogel.