Synthesis and microstructure characterization of tetragonal Zr1-xTixO2 (x=0-1) solid solutions

Oxide powders of Zr1-xTixO2(x=0-1) solid solutions with micron-sized particles were synthesized via a solution combustion method. The synthesis process and Zr/Ti molar ratio were optimized to produce powders with the tetragonal crystal structure. X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron spectroscopy results confirm that a full crystallization microstructure with the single tetragonal phase is obtained after calcination at 600 degrees C while maintaining the crystallite size <30 nm. Zr/Ti oxide mixtures with Zr >= 67 mol% exhibit a tetragonal crystal structure and the embedding Ti in ZrO2 improves the structure stability. The nitrogen sorption results indicate that the powders possess meso-porous morphology with medium specific surface areas (similar to 10-50 m(2)/g). Chemical stability tests show that these powders are relatively stable with negligible removal of titanium and zirconium after elution by 0.5 mol/L HCl. Density functional theory was used to calculate the most stable structure with low energy for the selected composition. (C) 2019 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The editorial office of Journal of Materials Science & Technology.