Spontaneous fractal ordering of zirconium oxide nanoparticles during synthesis from solution

The effect of synthesis conditions (pH of zirconium hydroxide precipitation) on the fractal structure of yttrium-stabilized zirconium oxide has been investigated. It has been found that the better pH of precipitation of zirconium hydroxide for obtaining soft-agglomerated nanoparticles ZrO2 is ∼4.5. It has been determined by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) that the mass-fractal aggregation of precursors contributes to a good filtration of hydroxide precipitates and allows preparation of oxides with soft, readily destructible aggregates.