Fe3O4 stabilized zirconia: structural, mechanical and optical properties

Zirconia (ZrO2) is one of the most well studied transition-metal oxides in the optical and biological fields. The applications area of ZrO2 can be increased by addition of metal oxides. Aim of this study is to determine the effect of acidic and basic Fe3O4 nanoparticles’ (NPs) doping in sol–gel synthesized ZrO2. Different samples are prepared by varying Fe3O4 concentrations, acidic and basic, in the range of 2–10 wt%. Sols of Fe3O4 doped ZrO2 (FOZ) are spin coated onto glass substrates at 3000 rpm for 30 s. FOZ films are annealed at 300 °C for 1 h. It is worth mentioning that Fe3O4 nanoparticles (acidic and basic) are used for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, to stabilize zirconia using sol–gel technique. Moreover, completely homogenous FOZ sol is obtained using water as a solvent. X-ray diffraction results confirm the formation of phase pure tetragonal ZrO2 (t-ZrO2) along with less intense peak of Fe3O4 at 8–10 wt% of basic dopant. Optical spectra reveal that energy band gap lies in the range of 4.8 to 5.0 eV whereas, high value of transmission up to 80 % has been observed in case of basic dopant. Refractive indices vary with the variation in crystal structure and density of the films. Redshift is observed in Fe3O4 doped zirconia. Hardness of the samples is in the range of 310 to 962 HV.

Duke Scholars

Author Mustafa Shadi Rifaat Bashir Radiology, Abdominal Imaging