Thermal Decomposition and Crystallization of Aqueous Sol-Gel Derived Zirconium Acetate Gels: Effects of the Precursor Solution pH

Crystalline zirconia has previously been formed by desiccation and pyrolysis of a pH 3.4 zirconium acetate precursor solution. In this study, amorphous gels were formed by desiccation of zirconium acetate precursor solutions at pH 0.9 to 3.4 obtained by adding hydrochloric acid and at pH 8.0 by adding ammonium hydroxide to the available pH 3.4 precursor solution. The concentrations of the uncomplexed zirconium ion and the 1 : 1 and 1 : 2 zirconium acetate complexes varied with pH. Decomposition of the amorphous gel and its structure evolution to form crystalline zirconia by pyrolysis were studied. Several decomposition and structure transition temperatures occurring in the pyrolysis and the polymorph distribution in the pyrolysis products were dependent on the pH of the precursor solution. These variations of structure evolution with pH were also related to the relative concentrations of specific zirconium complexes in the precursor solutions. Removal of carbon by pyrolysis was improved by adding hydrochloric acid or ammonium hydroxide to the pH 3.4 precursor solution.     

Structure formation of the mixed gels of zirconium oxyhydrate and silicic acid produced with different sequencing of reagents

The physicochemical characteristics of single and mixed zirconia and silica gels produced by the sol-gel technique at different synthesis pH and sequence of introducing the reagents in the mother liquid are presented. As a result of comparing the data obtained by different research methods, it is found that in the mixed gels, irrespective of the synthesis technique, Si-O-Zr bonds are present. The introduction of a zirconium salt in the mother liquid containing a silicate salt leads to the preferred formation of zirconia gel granules of 20–30 nm in diameter enclosed in the matrix of silica gel. The inverse sequence of introducing the gel-forming components in the reaction mixture promotes the formation of large gel aggregates containing the particles of less that 10 nm and having a high degree of polymerization. Mixed gels of zirconium oxyhydrate and silicic acid have an order higher sorptive capacity for yttrium (III) and calcium cations, as compared to single silica gels and zirconia gels.     

A nearly pure monoclinic nanocrystalline zirconia

Generally, monoclinic zirconia is considered to be much more difficult to prepare at low temperatures and particularly in a pure state. The present work is the first example that shows that the hydrous zirconia formed by precipitation can yield a nearly pure nanocrystalline monoclinic zirconia at a temperature as low as 320 °C. The crystallite size of the monoclinic zirconia produced in the present work is around 15 nm, and it does not change appreciably as calcination temperature is increased from 320 to or above 400 °C. Such a small monoclinic crystallite arises from some of the chemical and physical factors built into the solution-gelation-xerogel process such as acidic preparation-pH, rapid precipitation, and moderate aging time and drying temperature, which result in a structure different from those of the existing zirconium hydroxides. In addition, the hydrous zirconia exhibits a unique thermal behavior in two respects: first, a sudden weight drop in the region of exothermic peak of the thermogravimetric curve is seen, suggesting that the main decomposition of the hydrous zirconia occurs in this region; second, there is an endothermic peak at high temperature in the differential thermal analysis curve, indicating the presence of coordinated water in the hydrous zirconia.     

Porous silicon oxycarbide glasses from organically modified silica gels of high surface area

High surface area alkyl-substituted silica aerogels and xerogels were successfully prepared by sol-gel processing and supercritical drying. The gels were further heat treated in inert atmosphere to temperatures as high as 1000°C. Surface areas and pore structure of the gels and gels pyrolyzed at high temperatures were determined by multipoint BET surface area measurement. The aerogels and xerogels exhibited surface areas of about 1100 m²/g. No significant effect of pH was found on the surface areas of gels in the two step sol-gel process, but gels of low pH showed smaller pore diameter and higher density. Xerogels showed smaller surface area, pore size, and pore volume compared to aerogels. Upon pyrolyzing in inert atmosphere, the surface areas of all the gels decreased with temperature as a result of collapse of micropores and shrinkage of mesopores. Unlike pure silica gel, which loses almost all surface area and densifies at 1000°C, the advantage of the alkyl-substituted gels is that they maintained a high surface area of 400 m²/g at 1000°C.Also with the Department of Agronomy.     

Experimental and theoretical investigation on the correlation between aqueous precursors structure and crystalline phases of zirconia

Nanometer zirconia powders were prepared by the precipitation method at different pHs and different reaction temperatures. X-ray results show that monoclinic zirconia is favored at pH 4 while tetragonal zirconia is favored at pH 9.5 at room temperature, and monoclinic zirconia is also favored at pH 9.5 and 70 °C reaction temperature, with the slow addition of alkali. Four models of zirconium complexes were applied to simulate the structural monomers in different pH solutions. Geometric parameters and Mulliken charge population were calculated by optimizing these complexes using the density functional theory (DFT/B3LYP). Theoretical analyses show that if Model I ([Zr(OH)₂(H₂O)₄]²⁺ monomers) is favored in the aqueous precursor solution, it will be preferentially polymerized into monoclinic precursor structure irrespective of slow or quick alkali addition. Contrarily, if Model IV ([Zr(OH)₇]³⁻ monomers) is major in the aqueous precursor solution, tetragonal precursor structures are favored irrespective of slow or quick alkali addition. When Model II ([Zr(OH)₄(H₂O)₂]⁰ monomers) and Model III ([Zr(OH)₆]²⁻ monomers), respectively, predominate in the aqueous precursor solution, they will be preferentially polymerized into tetragonal precursor structure at slow alkali addition, however, for quick alkali addition, they will be preferentially polymerized into monoclinic precursor structure. Our theoretical models well explain the present experimental results as well as previous experimental results, and allow building up a correlation between aqueous precursor structures and crystalline phases of zirconia.     

Effect of Oxygen Environment on the Decomposition and Crystallization of an Aqueous Sol-Gel Derived Zirconium Acetate Gel

A precursor gel was prepared by desiccation of an aqueous solution of zirconium acetate and pyrolyzed to form crystalline powders in selected gas environments. Thermal analysis, X-ray powder diffraction, mass spectrometry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to investigate the decomposition of the gel and the transformations occurring during pyrolysis to 800°C in nitrogen, air and oxygen. Three transition temperatures were detected: the amorphous-to-cubic crystal transformation, cubic-to-tetragonal transformation, and the initiation of tetragonal-to-monoclinic transition. The presence of molecular oxygen decreased the crystallization temperature, increased the grain size of the tetragonal crystals formed and decreased the temperature at which the tetragonal-to-monoclinic transformation was initiated. The decrease in the crystallization temperature in the presence of oxygen occurred despite an increase in the temperature corresponding to the loss of the major portion of the organic component of the gel.     

Thermal Behaviour of a TiO2—ZrO2 Microcomposite Prepared by Chemical Coating

A microcomposite powder in the system TiO₂—ZrO₂ as a precursor of zirconium titanate (ZT) materials has been studied by thermal methods (DTA-TG) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The microcomposite powder has been prepared by chemical processing of crystalline TiO₂ (rutile, 10 mass% anatase),as inner core, coated with in situ precipitated amorphous hydrated zirconia gel, asouter core. The morphology and chemical composition of the resultant powders has been examined by SEM-EDX (Scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy). Thermal behaviour of the microcomposite powder was reported, showing the dehydration and dehydroxylation of the zirconia gel, the crystallization into metastable cubic/tetragonal zirconia at temperatures 400—470°C, and the feasibility of preparing ZT powder materials by progressive reaction of TiO₂ and ZrO₂ at higher temperatures (1400°C).This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

ZrO2 phase structure in coating films and powders obtained by sol-gel process

Zirconia coating film and powder obtained by the sol-gel route using zirconium n-propoxide as starting material and acid catalyst were investigated by the Perturbed Angular Correlations method, X-Ray Diffraction and Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Differential Thermal Analyses. The hyperfine interaction, measured after annealing the samples at increasing temperatures up to 1100°C, allowed to distinguish five different zirconium neighborhoods. Two of them describe rather disordered material which, on heating, crystallizes to the tetragonal phase and end finally in monoclinic zirconia. As compared with the powder, the film exhibits a minor fraction of an unidentified ordered form and a higher and more stable fraction of tetragonal phase. In addition, the tetragonal to monoclinic conversion takes place at higher temperatures and with a larger activation energy.Researcher for CONICET-ArgentinaResearcher for CICPBA-Argentina     

Preparation and characterization of mesoporous tetragonal sulfated zirconia

Mesoporous tetragonal sulfated zirconia with high surface area and narrow pore-size distribution was prepared using Zr(O-nPr)_4 as zirconium precursor,sulfuric acid as sulfur source and triblock copolymer poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(propylene glycol)-poly (ethylene glycol)(P123) as the template.The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction,N_2 sorption,TEM,and NH_3-TPD. A phase transformation from monoclinic sulfated zirconia to tetragonal sulfated zirconia is observed.The product shows strong acidi...     

Silica-zirconia monoliths from gels

Zirconium propoxide and tetraethylorthosilicate were hydrolyzed in methoxyethanol which acts as stabilizer of zirconium and in presence of formamide or dimethylformamide as Drying Control Chemical Additives in order to obtain zirconia silica gels. The gels were dried at 70°C to get monolithic xerogels. The influence of zirconium content and DCCA on texture was determined. The evolution of these xerogels was investigated as a function of temperature between 70°C and 1000°C by thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, I.R. spectroscopy and R.X. diffractometry.     

Thermal behavior of the composite xerogels of zirconium oxyhydroxide and silicic acid

Gels were prepared via sol?Cgel method by addition of zirconium oxychloride solution into sodium metasilicate (SZ) and sodium metasilicate solution into zirconium oxychloride (ZS) at varying final pH. Si/Zr molar ratio equaled 1/1. Synthesized gels were dried with calcium chloride until they reached a constant mass. SEM and nitrogen adsorption analysis have shown that SZ gels have surface area 175?C200?m^2?g^?1, consist of 20?C30?nm grains. ZS samples have surface area about 1?m^2?g^?1, consist of grains smaller than 10?nm. Thermal and X-ray phase analysis have shown that transition of amorphous ZrO₂ to crystalline form shifts from 430 to 850?C870?°C for SZ gels. Unlike zirconia gels phase transitions that proceed in order: ??amorphous (430?°C)??tetragonal (800?°C)??monoclinic (1,000?°C) phases??, the monoclinic phase in ZS gels appears immediately after transition from amorphous to crystalline state; the tetragonal phase in SZ samples is stable until 1,000?°C.     

Pd-based sulfated zirconia prepared by a single step sol–gel procedure for lean NOx reduction

Pd-based sulfated zirconia catalysts have been prepared through a single step (one-pot) sol–gel preparation technique, in which both sulfate and Pd precursors were dissolved in an organic solution before the gelation step. Observation of the calcination procedure through TGA/DSC and mass spectrometry revealed that the addition of increasing amounts of Pd resulted in the evolution of organic precursor species at lower temperatures. In situ XRD experiments showed that tetragonal zirconia is formed at lower temperatures and larger zirconia crystallites are formed when Pd is added to the gel. Although tetragonal zirconia was the only phase observed through XRD, Raman spectra of samples calcined at 700 °C showed the presence of both the tetragonal and the monoclinic phase, indicating a surface phase transition. DRIFTS experiments showed NO species adsorbed on Pd²⁺ cations. Pd/SZ catalysts prepared through this single step method were active for the reduction of NO₂ with CH₄ under lean conditions. Calcination temperature had a significant effect on this activity, with samples calcined at 700 °C being much more active than those calcined at 600 °C, despite the observed transition to the monoclinic phase. This activity may be linked to observed changes in the surface sulfate species at higher calcination temperatures.     

The role of complexing ligands in the formation of non-aggregated nanoparticles of zirconia

The hydrolysis and condensation of zirconium n-propoxide in n-propanol have been chemically controlled via the complexation of the zirconium precursor with acetylacetone. The size of the zirconium oxide-based particles is mainly controlled by the complexation ratio x=[acac]/[Zr]. the mean size increases from nanometric to submicronic range when x decreases from 1 to 0.1. Amorphous colloidal particles are obtained at room temperature. They result from a competitive growth/termination mechanism of zirconium-oxo species in the presence of acac surface capping agents. However non-aggregated nanocrystalline particles of tetragonal zirconia, about 2 nm in diameter are formed upon aging at 60°C when hydrolysis is performed in the presence of paratoluene sulfonic acid (PTSA).     

固体超强酸SO2-4/ZrO2的制备及其催化性能研究

以氧氯化锆为锆原,氨水为沉淀剂,硫酸溶液为浸渍液,通过沉淀-浸渍法制备SO2-4/ZrO2(SZ)酯化催化剂,其结构经BET、X-射线衍射(XRD)、傅立叶变换红外光谱(FT-IR)及扫描电子显微镜(SEM)表征.结果表明:随着焙烧温度升高,催化剂的比表面积依次降低,孔径增大,氧化锆的晶态由无定形态转化为四方晶态再转化为单斜晶态;于600℃焙烧时,催化剂形成的S=O键红外吸收峰最强;于700℃焙烧时,催化剂结构被破坏.在丙烯酸与十八醇的酯化反应中对催化剂进行活性测试.结果表明:600℃焙烧的催化剂产率最高(96.4%).     

Generation of WO3-ZrO2 catalysts from solid solutions of tungsten in zirconia

WO₃-ZrO₂ samples were obtained by precipitating zirconium oxynitrate in presence of WO₄ species in solution from ammonium metatungstate at pH=10.0. Samples were characterized by atomic absorption spectroscopy, thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and energy filtered-TEM. The ammonia retained in the dried sample produced a reductive atmosphere to generate W⁵⁺ ions coexisting with W⁶⁺ ions to produce a solid solution of tungsten in the zirconia lattice to stabilize the zirconia tetragonal phase when the sample was annealed at 560 °C. When the sample was annealed at 800 °C, the W atoms near crystallite surface were oxidized to W⁶⁺, producing patches of WO₃ on the zirconia crystallite. The HR-TEM analysis confirmed the existence of the solid solution when the sample was annealed at 560 °C, and two types of crystalline regions were identified: One with nearly spherical morphology, an average diameter of 8 nm and the atomic distribution of tetragonal zirconia. The second one had a non-spherical morphology with well-faceted faces and dimensions larger than 30 nm, and the atom distribution of tetragonal zirconia. When samples were annealed at 800 °C two different zirconia crystallites were formed: Those where only part of the dissolved tungsten atoms segregated to crystallite surface producing patches of nanocrystalline WO₃ on the crystallite surface of tetragonal zirconia stabilized with tungsten. The second type corresponded to monoclinic zirconia crystallites with patches of nanocrystalline WO₃ on their surface. The tungsten segregation gave rise to the WO₃-ZrO₂ catalysts.     

Study of the drying zirconia gel-precipitates using thermal analysis

Thermoanalytical techniques (TG, DTG, DTA and EGA) can be helpful in studying gel compositions and relating the chemical history and the role of the precipitant to the chemical properties of gels. The objective of our work was to determine the influence of the initial conditions in the reaction mixture on the product characteristics. Zirconia gels were prepared by the gelprecipitation method by the hydrolysis of zirconium tetrachloride dissolved in methanol. The substitution of water by methanol was chosen in order to obtain a reaction medium in which better control of the hydrolysis and condensation reactions of the zirconium precursor were achieved and thus also better control of the final properties of the dried zirconia gel-precipitates could be obtained. The nature of the hydrated zirconia gels obtained during the gelation process is strongly influenced by the conditions of the reaction mixture, e.g. concentration of the zirconium precursor, the mixing rate and particularly by the amount of water added. To distinguish between various types of water in the gel-precipitates, the furnace atmosphere and the partial water pressure were altered appropriately. It was shown that initial zirconium to water molar ratio has a significant effect on the properties of the final products. It was assumed that, according to the preparation conditions, three different types of water are present in the formed zirconia gel-precipitates. Modification of the dehydration processes of zirconia gel-precipitates enables control of the final microstructural and surface properties of the dried gels which are suitable for further catalysts support as well as mixed oxide preparation.     

Starved Water Hydrolysis of Different Precursors and its Influence on the Properties of Precipitated Zirconia

The chemical composition of zirconia gels precipitated from methanol solutions with excess, stoichiometric or deficient amounts of water as well, as the phase composition of fine ZrO₂ powders obtained by thermal treatment of gels prepared by this method, were investigated. It was observed that both the stoichiometry and crystalline phase formation during thermal treatment of zirconia gels are strongly influenced by the amount of water added to the initial reaction mixture. Heating the hydrated zirconia gels in an inert oxygen-free atmosphere produced a black nonstoichiometric oxide. The degree of nonstoichiometry of zirconia and its microstructure are influenced by the initial conditions in the reaction mixture. The X-ray patterns of thermally treated samples prepared with a substoichiometric amount of water show power lines of monoclinic and tetragonal zirconia, while after the same thermal treatment to 700°C, those prepared with excess water in the initial methanol solution, show mainly tetragonal diffraction lines.     

制备条件对ZrO2晶相结构的影响

不同晶体结构ＺｒＯ２的制备探索表明,二氧化锆的晶体结构极大地依赖于它的制备条件,从同一种原料可以制备出不同晶体结构的二氧化锆,也可以从不同的锆直产制备出同一种晶体结构的二氧化锆。     

Synthesis of monoclinic celsian from seeded alkoxide gels

Celsian gels seeded with fine monoclinic celsian seeds were prepared by an all-alkoxide gel route and the effect of seeding on crystallization of the gel-derived glass examined. Gels seeded with 10 wt.% of fine crystals sintered to greater than 93% and 95% density in the form of cold pressed gel powder pellets and as bulk gel respectively, when sintered at temperatures below 1050°C. XRD analysis indicated that seed facilitated the formation of monoclinic celsian in the densified celsian glass, and the amount of monoclinic celsian formed increased with increasing seed content. 92% of the glass crystallized into monoclinic celsian when 10% of 3.2 m seeds were introduced. Transmission Electron Microscopy revealed epitaxial growth of monoclinic celsian from the crystal seeds but homogeneous nucleation and growth of hexacelsian.     

Silica-supported spinel LiMn2O4 from microemulsion-derived multicomponent gels

A preparative technique based on the gelation of a microemulsion has provided a means of homogeneously dispersing high concentrations of metal oxide precursor salts through silica gel. The microstructures and compositions of gels containing combinations of lithium and manganese nitrate, and of the multiphase materials obtained by firing to a range of temperatures up to 1000°C, have been established. Formation of the mixed metal oxide spinel phase LiMn₂O₄ within a silica support has been obtained for systems comprising from 10 to 30 wt% metal nitrate by heating to temperatures between 500 and 700°C.