Facile fabrication and characterisation of MoO₃coated nanocrystalline ZrO₂by polymeric resin route

Abstract

Surface modification of nanocrystalline ZrO 2 powder with an ultrathin MoO 3 layer was successfully carried out by a polymeric resin route using polyacrylic acid and ethylene glycol as precursors. Polyacrylic acid plays a vital role in this process, not only as the chelating agent for the molybdate cluster but also to form the uniform layer of molybdate dispersed polymeric resin on the surface of ZrO 2 . Thermal decomposition of the resin intermediate at 500uC creates the organic free MoO 3 layer on the ZrO 2 surface. Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction and SEM energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis confirm the uniform formation of crystalline MoO 3 on the surface of the ZrO 2 powder. Further, the MoO 3 layer thickness was identified by TEM characterisation and was found to be y3 nm.