Investigation into the phase formation in the ZrO2-CeO2 system

Nanopowders of solid solutions with different compositions are prepared in the zirconia-enriched region of the ZrO₂-CeO₂ system. The crystallization of these powders and the formation of the monoclinic, cubic, and tetragonal solid solutions of the composition (Zr_{1 – x}Ce_x)O₂ are investigated. It is found that the unit cell parameters of the solid solutions increase as the cerium content increases. This confirms the fact that cerium ions [r(Ce⁴⁺) = 1.11 ] substitute for zirconium ions [r(Zr⁴⁺) = 0.98 ] in these solid solutions. The average size of crystallites of the solid solutions under investigation increases from 5 to 60 nm in the temperature range 500–1200°C.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Fizika i Khimiya Stekla, Panova, Glushkova, Nefedova.