Optimized preparation of MgO-ZrO2 nanocomposite powders by assisted sol-gel method

To address the problems of the non-uniform mixing of raw materials and abnormal grain growth that often exists in traditional methods for nano-zirconia matrix composites, an assisted sol-gel method was employed to prepare MgO-ZrO2 nanocomposite powders. The effects of the addition of MgO and calcination atmosphere on the phase content and microscopic morphology of the ZrO2 powders were investigated. The results showed that ZrO2 powders with 5 wt% MgO could be partially stabilized in the tetragonal phase by calcination in a vacuum, and had small particle size and narrow particle size distribution, with an average particle size of about 95 nm. Compared with the samples calcined in air, the particle size of the powder in a vacuum is smaller, so it is more conducive to the stability of the tetragonal phase of zirconia.