ABSTRACT
ZrO2 aerogel modified by SiO2 (ZSA) was synthesized by aging ZrO2 gel in tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) solution using ZrOCl2·8H2O as precursor, and 1,2-propylene oxide (PO) as gelation agent followed by ethanol supercritical fluid drying. Crystallization kinetics and thermal stability of ZSA while calcined at elevated temperature were studied comparing with pure ZrO2 aerogel. The prepared samples were characterized using TG-DSC, N2 adsorption/desorption, SEM and TEM. The results show that thermal stability of ZSA are highly improved due to the SiO2 layer hindering the proliferation, nucleation and growth process of ZrO2.
Funding
This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51172157).