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.