Synthesis of ZrO2-Al2O3 Composite Beads by Wet Titration Technology

Abstract

In this work, based on the wet titration technology, an innovative method to prepare the ZrO2-Al2O3 composite beads which can greatly improve the bead properties is proposed. Using this process, the ZrO2-Al2O3 composite beads samples with different proportions of alumina component were prepared and tested. The bulk density test results show that the new method can prepare the beads with high compactness and without containing pores. The hardness test results show that the hardness of the composite beads is higher than zirconia beads without adding alumina. The SEM analyses show that the average grain size of the composite beads is about 180 nm, much smaller than the beads prepared by conventional rolling process. The XRD results show that there is no monoclinic phase in the composite beads after sintering at 1250 ℃. The EDS analyses show that the aluminum element exists in composite beads and the alumina grains are evenly distributed. Furthermore, the sintering temperature using this new process can achieve low-temperature sintering which is about 1250 ℃ much lower than the sintering temperature of conventional rolling process.