Formation mechanism and template-free synthesis of hierarchical m-ZrO₂ nanorods by hydrothermal method

Abstract

Here, a new idea was proposed for template-free synthesis of hierarchical m-ZrO₂ nanorods and “their” possible formation mechanism based on a series of chemical reactions by simple hydrothermal method. The traditional preparation methods of hierarchical ZrO₂ nanorods involved inexpensive equipment, complicated process, and high production cost. The as-synthesized products composed of many nanorods with 180-200 nm in diameter and 5-7 μm in length. The final product after annealing involved hierarchical monoclinic ZrO₂ (m-ZrO₂) nanorods, namely, the big nanorod was made up of many small nanorods with 40-50 nm in diameter and 500-600 nm in length. The experimental results were useful in understanding the chemical properties of ZrB₂ and ZrO₂ and the design of the derivatives for m-ZrO₂ nanomaterials.

Keywords

growth models / surface processes / inorganic compounds / ZrO₂

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