Study of Phase Stablization in ZrO2 by Ion Beam Irradiation and Other Processes

Abstract

For various technological and industrial applications, ceramics are highly preferred materials because of their fascinating physical properties such as high mechanical stability, superior chemical stability, high radiation resistance, and high melting point. The metal oxide is one of the types of ceramics, which is used for different applications such as Boron oxide is often used in bullet proof vests, ferrites (BaFe12O19 and CoFe2O4) are being used in electrical transformers and magnetic core memory devices, magnesium diboride is an unusual superconductor, and zinc oxide is extensively useful in numerous semiconductor applications. But these materials have certain disadvantages when used as an inert matrix for the absorption of radiotoxic elements produced in the nuclear industry. Whereas zirconia (zirconium oxide) has proven to be a potential candidate for the inert matrix fuels in nuclear reactors. Further, zirconia gained considerable attention as a current research material owing to its various technological applications such as oxygen detector, thermal barrier coatings, optical coatings, high temperature solid oxide fuel cells, etc. newline