Preparation of Cordierite/ZrO2 Nano-Composite Powders by a Colloidal Coating Process.

Cordierite/ZrO2 nano-composite powders were prepared by a colloidal coating process. Cordierite particles are embedded within a continuous layer of fine amorphous ZrO2 that was provided by the colloidal processing after drying. Tetragonal ZrO2 was first formed at 650°C and monoclinic ZrO2 phase was identified at the calcination temperature of 800°C. After calcination at 850°C, crystallized ZrO2 particles with the size from 10nm to 30nm homogeneously covered the surface of cordierite particles. Cordierite/ZrO2 nano-composite powders prepared by a colloidal coating process show better sinterability than that of cordierite/ZrO2 powder mixtures prepared by a conventional mixing method, and were sintered to a density of over 96% at a low temperature of 1300°C.