Abstract
Zirconia nanoparticles were made from zirconium propionate (ZP) by flame spray pyrolysis (FSP). The ZP was dessolved in 2-propanol, 2-propanol/2,2,4-trimethylpentane or propionic acid, to prepare precursor solutions. The 2-propanol, 2-propanol/2,2,4-trimethylpentane solutions gave low specific surface area (SSA) powders (∼20 m2/g), suggesting evaporation of the precursor was limited. Using propionic acid as a solvent resulted in a mixture of nano- and sub-micron particles (60 m2/g). The evidences suggest that an innovative preparation of precursor solution of the ZP and propionic acid could enhance the gas phase reaction during the FSP, resulting in high SSA zirconia particles.
