Production of 8%Y2O3-92%ZrO2 (8YSZ) Thin Films by Sol-Gel Technology

Hydrolytically active heteroligand coordination compounds [M(C5H7O2)(x)((OC5H11)-O-i)(y)] (M = Zr, Y) were synthesized from zirconium and yttrium acetylacetonates, and the kinetics of gelation of their solutions by hydrolysis and polycondensation was studied. Silicon substrates were dip-coated with thin films of solutions of these precursors, and their bulk hydrolysis was investigated. In heat treatment of xerogel coatings under various conditions, the crystallization of nanostructured films of oxide of the composition 8%Y2O3-92%ZrO2 (8YSZ) was examined, and the dependence of the particle phase composition, microstructure, and size on the synthesis conditions was described.