Effect of ceramic nanoparticles on the solid-state reaction mechanism of dolomite-zirconium oxide followed by neutron thermodiffraction measurements

Calcium zirconate-magnesium oxide material was obtained by solid-state reaction from mixed dolomite (CaMg(CO3)(2)) and zirconia (m-ZrO2) nanopowders. The nanopowders were obtained by high-energy milling, which produced an increase of the superficial free energy of the particles. The role of nanoparticles in the reaction process of monoclinic-zirconia and dolomite was analysed for the first time using neutron thermodiffraction and differential thermal analysis-thermogravimetric techniques. The neutron thermodiffraction of this mixture provides a clear description in situ of the different decomposition and reaction processes that occur in the nanopowders mixture. The results make it possible to analyze the effect of the nanoparticles on the reaction behaviour of these materials.