Comparative study of calculated and TEM characterization sizes of peanut-like nano-grains in mesoporous c-ZrO2 microspheres

Cubic phase ZrO2 microspheres, with a homogeneously mesoporous microstructure and peanut-like nano-grains, were prepared by a novel spray reaction technique after calcination at 600–800 °C. A comparative investigation of calculated and TEM-observed sizes of peanut-like nano-grains in mesoporous cubic phase ZrO2 microspheres has been performed. It is shown that the calculated grain sizes are not quite in agreement with the values obtained by TEM studies. The calculated nano-grain sizes along with characterization by TEM allow evaluation of grain size, morphology, and the state of aggregation.