A novel green nonaqueous sol-gel process for preparation of partially stabilized zirconia nanopowder

A novel green nonaqueous sol-gel process was developed to prepare 3 mol% Y2O3-doped ZrO2 nanopowder from zirconium oxychloride and without need for washing of the obtained particles. It was shown that highly dispersive nanometer-scale zirconia powder with the particle size of 15-25 nm and BET surface area of 41.2 m(2)/g can be prepared. The sintering behaviour was also investigated. Density of the translucent body sintered at 1400 degrees C is 98.7 +/- 0.3% of its theoretical density and the surface and cross section areas are dense without holes or other defects. The bending strength of the sintered sample is 928 +/- 64 MPa.