Aqueous processing of fine ZrO₂ particles

This paper describes a study of the dispersion of yttria stabilized zirconia (TZ-3Y) powders in aqueous media. The slurry stability is achieved by utilizing a commercially available dispersant, Triton X-114. Zeta potential, adsorption, sedimentation and rheology measurements have been performed to investigate the suspensions properties. It was shown that the adsorption of Triton X-114 could effectively improve the stability of ZrO₂ slurries. The optimal slurry state could be achieved around pH = 5 with the Triton X-114 concentration around 6 mM. Rheological measurement confirmed that well dispersed slurries could be obtained with the solid content as high as 45 vol%. The results showed that Triton X-114 is an effective dispersant for preparing well stabilized ZrO₂ suspensions.