Preparation of High Surface Area ZrO2 Nanoparticles

In comparison to the previous researches, ZrO2 nanoparticles with higher surface area (85 m2/g) have been synthesized in this research. The as-prepared ZrO2 nanoparticles by co-precipitation method were characterized with X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The surface area of the sample was characterized by BET method. The effect of the growth parameters such as temperature, pH, Zr4+/template ratio and kind of template on the growth and morphology of ZrO2 nanoparticles have been investigated in detail. The results revealed that pH, temperature, Zr4+/template and kind of template have an important effect on the morphology and size of the ZrO2 nanoparticles. X Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis of the superior nanoparticles that was prepared at pH=4, Temperature=70 oC, Zr4+/template ratio=2 and by sorbitol as template indicates the formation of nanocrystalline ZrO2 tetragonal phase structure. The average particle size of the product is about 4.45 nm that was calculated from XRD pattern by the Debye-Scherrer formula.