SYNCHROTRON-RELATED STUDIES ON THE DYNAMIC AND STRUCTURAL ASPECTS OF ZIRCONIA SYNTHESIS FOR CERAMIC AND CATALYTIC APPLICATIONS

摘要

Zirconia is an important component material for several industrial applications. In these studies we have used intense radiation sources, primarily synchrotron radiation, to shed new light on the properties of zirconia and its synthesis via existing industrial routes. Certain "static" techniques have been used to probe the atomic structure of precursor compounds used in the synthesis of zirconia, whereas time-resolved techniques were required to dynamically capture the various calcination stages during the heating section of the synthesis cycle. Finally the important tetragonal to monoclinic zirconia transformation during cooling was studied in detail using time resolved energy dispersive diffraction. Altogether what emerges is a new unfolding story on the various stages of zirconia synthesis, in which synchrotron radiation has played a vital role.