COMPARISON OF MICROSTRUCTURE AND PHASE EVOLUTION OF YSZ NANOPARTICLES SYNTHESIZED BY CO-PRECIPITATION AND MOLTEN SALT METHODS

This study aimed to compare the phase changes and morphology of yttria-stabilized zirconium oxide powders (YSZ) synthesized by co-precipitation and molten salt methods. Ammonia precipitating agent was used for the synthesis of YSZ powder by co-precipitation method and a mixture of sodium carbonate and potassium carbonate salts was used as a molten salt in the molten salt method. Samples were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) analysis. The results showed that only the sample prepared with zirconium oxychloride and yttrium nitrate by co-precipitation method had a single phase of yttria-stabilized zirconium oxide with tetragonal crystal lattice and particle size distribution in the range of 30 to 55 nm. The powder synthesized by the molten salt method contained a mixture of zirconia with monoclinic crystal lattice and yttria stabilized zirconia with tetragonal crystal lattice and particle size of 200 nm.