Crystal structure of metastable tetragonal zirconia up to 1473 K

The crystal structure of metastable tetragonal zirconia prepared via the alkoxide method has been investigated at temperatures up to 1473 K, to clarify the similarity between this metastable phase and the tetragonal phase at high temperature. The lattice constants, tetragonality, oxygen shift parameter, and equivalent isotropic thermal parameter of the metastable tetragonal phase are proportional to the temperature. These parameters, when extrapolated to the high-temperature range, are very similar to those of the high-temperature tetragonal phase. Present results indicate that the structure of the metastable tetragonal phase is the same as that of the high-temperature tetragonal phase.