Wet-chemical preparation of zirconia powders: Their microstructure and behavior

Ultrafine homogeneous substituted zirconia powders are of importance for the preparation of ceramics for electronic devices. Such powders not only enable the production of dense ceramics of moderate temperatures but also improve thermo-mechanical behavior because of the resulting small grain sizes. Many methods are available for the chemical preparation of powders. However, the application of these methods to highly refractory compounds, such as zirconia, results in powder morphologies that frequently give poor sintering behavior. This is commonly caused by the inadequate control of agglomerate structures. This paper reviews the results of a number of modern synthesis methods applied to the preparation of zirconia, with emphasis on agglomeration control and microstructural development