The nanoparticle-coating process: a potential sol-gel route to homogeneous nanocomposites

A sol-gel process was developed for fabricating inherently homogeneous nanocomposites involving: (a) precipitation of nanoparticles; (b) coating the nanoparticles with a film of matrix phase, and; (c) powder forming and sintering. Die-pressed ZrO2(nanoparticle)–glass(matrix) specimens were pressureless sintered at 1100°C. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of these partially sintered specimens revealed a uniform arrangement of nanopores (∼10−8 m), suggesting homogeneous ZrO2 nanoparticle distribution.