Particle Size Analysis of the Synthesised ZrO₂ from Natural Zircon Sand with Variation of pH Deposition Using Alkali Fusion-Coprecipitation Method

Abstract:

Zirconia (ZrO₂) is one of the refractory ceramic materials that have applications in several fields. The aim of this study was to synthesis ZrO₂ from natural zircon sand collected from Kereng Pangi, Central Kalimantan with a variation of pH deposition using alkali fusion co-precipitation method. The synthesized ZrO₂ began with the preparation process involved magnetic separation, milling, and leaching with HCl. Furthermore, the alkali fusion process was used KOH solution and heated in an electrical furnace at 700°C for 3 h whereas the co-precipitation process was carried out using a filtrate mixed with the NH₄OH solution to reach a pH variation between 3–11 and then precipitated for 12 h. The precipitates were dried in an oven and then calcined at 800°C for 3 h. The structure of synthesized ZrO₂ was characterized using XRD and the particle sizes were measured using particle size analyzer (PSA). The XRD analysis showed that the identified phase of zirconia powder is tetragonal with a crystal size in nanometer size. Result of PSA measurement revealed that the crystal size decreased in the range pH of 3 - 7, but increased in the range pH of 7 - 11. The biggest powder particle size could be achieved at 260 nm with pH 7 whereas the smallest size was at 143 nm occurred at pH 3.

• Periodical: Materials Science Forum (Volume 966)
• Pages: 89-94
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.966.89
• Online since: August 2019
• Authors: Cahyaning Fajar Kresna Murti, Herman Aldila, Endarko Endarko, Triwikantoro Triwikantoro*
• Keywords: Alkali Fusion, Co-Precipitation, Synthesis, Zircon, Zirconia

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