Silica–calcium zirconate nanocomposite, studying its thermal and electrical properties

Silica–calcium zirconate nanocomposite was prepared in a two-step procedure. First, nanocalcium zirconate was synthesized by the modified sol–gel method; then, silica was added to the prepared sol and the resulting product was calcined at 700–1000°C. Dilatometric measurements were performed to determine the coefficient of thermal expansion (k α ). It was concluded that k α was decreased from 15.96 × 10−6 to 10.26 × 10−6 1°C−1 with the increase in calcium zirconate/silica ratio. Moreover, studies on the dielectric properties and calcination temperature showed that the dielectric constant (e r) was increased from 3.9 to 5.7.