Effect of synthesis conditions on the fractal structure of yttrium-stabilized zirconium dioxide

Abstract The effect of synthesis conditions (sequential precipitation, coprecipitation, and sol–gel method) on the fractal structure of yttrium-stabilized zirconium dioxide has been investigated. It has been shown that the difference between methods manifests itself clearly in xerogel nanostructures, viz. by the number of fractal aggregation levels (three levels in hydroxide precipitates and two in sol–gel) and the absence of mass-fractal aggregation in sol–gel. It is been determined that the mass-fractal aggregation of precursors contributes to good filtration of hydroxide precipitates and allows preparation of oxides with soft, readily destructible aggregates, and that surface-fractal aggregation makes for good pressability of oxides.