Characteristics of ZrO2 nanopowders produced by electrical explosion of wire

A device and an experiment for obtaining zirconium dioxide nanopowders using the electrical explosion of a wire (EEW) with aerodynamical separation are described. The physicochemical and technological properties of powders depending on the conditions under which they are obtained are studied. It is shown that, like for other metals with high oxidation heat, there is an additional dispersion of powders due to combustion. The results are discussed from the point of view of current concepts of electrical explosion and the combustion of metal powders. The optimum technological conditions according to the criterion of the maximum nanofraction yield were found. It is shown that this method allows us to obtain weakly aggregated ZrO2 nanopowders with a spherical particle shape (the specific surface reaching 70 m2/g (average particle size <20 nm)) and a nanofraction yield of up to 28% of the theoretical weight of oxide.