TO EVALUATE THE APPLICABILITY OF ALKOXIDE SOL-GEL METHOD IN SYNTHESIS OF YSZ NANOPOWDER THROUGH APPROPRIATE HYDROLYSIS ROUTE

Synthesis of YSZ nanopowder by alkoxide sol-gel method, through two different hydrolysis routes, one under careful control by using acetyacetone as ligand, and the other through basic hydrolysis, was investigated. The synthesized powders were characterized by various analytical techniques such as, XRD, STA, PSA, BET, SEM, and TEM. The results showed that, the YSZ powders prepared through the basic hydrolysis route consist of weakly agglomerated nanosized spherical particles whereas the products obtained through the controlled hydrolysis route, consist of hard irregular shaped agglomerates. Sinterability of these powders was examined at 1480 °C, which showed that the powder synthesized through the basic hydrolysis route attains a density of 94%, against 60% for the other case. It was therefore concluded that, alkoxide sol-gel method through basic hydrolysis route, can be more suitable for the synthesis of YSZ nanopowder and its subsequent sintering.