Effect of calcination temperature on the electrokinetic properties of colloidal zirconia

Abstract

The zeta potentials of three different zirconia samples which had been calcined at 450, 650 and 850°C, in aqueous KNO3 solutions at 25°C were measured using the technique of microelectrophoresis. The effects of pH and electrolyte concentration on the electrokinetic properties of the zirconia colloids were investigated. An Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) was used to measure the forces of interaction, as a function of the distance of separation, for a colloidal sphere of zirconia (calcined at 850°C) with a polished, flat, zirconia plate. These measurements were performed across a range of pH values at three different electrolyte concentrations. The experimental data were seen to fall between the..