Effect of different fuels on the alumina–zirconia nanopowder synthesized by sol–gel autocombustion method

In this research, a sol–gel autocombustion route has been proposed to synthesize alumina–zirconia nanopowder, using aluminium nitrate, zirconium oxychloride and various fuels such as citric acid, acetylacetone, oxalic acid and urea. The phase analysis and particle size in the presence of different fuel were compared. The results showed 100% tetragonal phase as well as particle size of ∼60 nm in the presence of citric acid. FTIR confirms the formation of α-Al2O3 in corroboration with X-ray studies.