Mitigation Of Gadolinium Oxychloride Impurity During Co-precipitation Of Gadolinium Zirconate
Abstract
This study investigates the influence of precursor chemistry on impurity formation, phase evolution, and microstructural development in Gd₂Zr₂O₇ synthesized by co-precipitation. Use of ZrOCl₂ precursor resulted in the formation of a GdOCl impurity in powders calcined at 800 °C and subsequently sintered at 1500 °C. The GdOCl content increased from ∼4 vol% to ∼20 vol% with increasing precursor concentration. Washing of co-precipitates reduced but did not fully eliminate residual chlorine. Thermogravimetric analysis suggests the gradual removal of chlorine-containing species at elevated temperatures. Consistent trends observed from wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence and Rietveld refinement are indicative of progressive chlorine removal and an associated shift toward stoichiometric Gd₂Zr₂O₇. Phase-pure gadolinium zirconate was achieved by increasing the calcination temperature to 1400 °C or by sintering at 1600 °C. The alternative use of a chloride-free precursor (ZrO(NO₃)₂) also avoids GdOCl impurity. These results highlight the influence of precursor chemistry on phase evolution and chemical homogeneity.
Recommended Citation
R. P. Magdum et al., "Mitigation Of Gadolinium Oxychloride Impurity During Co-precipitation Of Gadolinium Zirconate," Materials Science and Engineering B, vol. 333, article no. 119692, Elsevier, Nov 2026.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mseb.2026.119692
Department(s)
Materials Science and Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
Co-precipitation synthesis; Rare-earth compounds; Spark plasma sintering
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
0921-5107
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2026 Elsevier, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Nov 2026
Comments
Office of Naval Research, Grant N00014-24-1-2768