Nonisothermal Synthesis of Yttria‐Stabilized Zirconia Nanopowder through Oxalate Processing: I, Characteristics of Y‐Zr Oxalate Synthesis and Its Decomposition

To obtain powder with a composition of 3 mol% Y 2 O 3 –97 mol% ZrO 2 , a process of Y‐Zr oxalate powder production has been optimized, to produce an oxalate with minimal particle size. The methodology of the nonisothermal decomposition of Y‐Zr oxalate has been explained. Characteristics of the nonisothermal decomposition of different oxalates have been studied. Nanocrystalline Y 2 O 3 ‐stabilized ZrO 2 (YSZ) powder with a narrow size distribution of primary particles and aggregates was produced. The zirconia powder that was obtained from the smallest oxalate powder via nonisothermal decomposition had a particle size of 8–10 nm. The YSZ powder was weakly aggregated, with a narrow aggregate‐size distribution of 70–90 nm.