Affiliation:
1. Key Laboratory for Ecological Metallurgy of Multimetallic Mineral (Ministry of Education) Northeastern University Shenyang 110819 China
2. School of Chemistry and Materials Engineering Liupanshui Normal University 553004 Liupanshui China
3. State Key Laboratory of Baiyunobo Rare Earth Resource Researches and Comprehensive Utilization Baotou Research Institute of Rare Earths Baotou 014030 China
Abstract
Yttria‐stabilized zirconia (YSZ) powder is widely used in battery and thermal barrier coatings. This article reports a method of preparing YSZ powder using plasma in air atmosphere at room temperature in 0.34 M ZrO(NO3)2–0.06 M Y(NO3)3 solution. Diverse characterization techniques are utilized to examine the morphology and composition of synthesized powders. Electrolytic green powder consists mainly of hydroxide, which is annealed to form a well‐crystallized YSZ oxide powder with coexisting tetragonal and cubic phases. The green powder is composed of micrometer‐sized particles, with a particle size distribution (D50) of 51.90 μm. The molar ratio of Y to Zr is 2.84:1. The YSZ powder is finer (D50 is 5.80 μm) with irregular nanoparticles aggregating together, and the molar ratio of Y to Zr is 2.57:1. Hydroxyl radicals (OH·) and hydrogen radicals (H·) are found in the flame during discharge electrolysis, and the main formation reactions of the powders by this process are H2O + 2e− → H2↑ + 2OH−; Zr4+ + 4OH− + nH2O → Zr(OH)4·nH2O↓; and Y3+ + 3OH− + nH2O → Y(OH)3·nH2O↓. The conductivity of electrolyte sintered by YSZ powders increases with rising temperature, reaching 0.038S cm−1 at 1000 °C.
Funder
National Natural Science Foundation of China