Phase Equilibrium in ZrO2-CeO2-Eu2O3 System at a Temperature of 1500 °C

Abstract

The phase equilibria and structural transformations in the ternary ZrO2-CeO2-Eu2O3 system at 1500 °C were studied by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy in the overall concentration range. The system was found to constitute fields of solid solutions based on the tetragonal (Т) modification of ZrО2, cubic (С) and monoclinic (B) modifications of Eu2O3, cubic with a fluorite-type structure (F) modifications of СеО2 (ZrО2), and ordered intermediate phase with a pyrochlore-type structure of Eu2Zr2O7 (Py). The refined lattice parameters of the unit cells corresponding to the solid solutions and microstructures of the definite field of compositions for the systems were determined. The peculiarity of the isothermal section of the phase diagram in the ZrO2-СеO2-Eu2O3 system at 1500 °С is the formation of phase equilibria on the basis of the fluorite solid solutions of ZrO2(CeO2) along with other components. There are at least three homogeneous fields of cubic phases. The isothermal section of the ZrO2-CeO2-Eu2O3 system at 1500 °С was constituted of four three-phase regions (C-Eu2O3 + F-CeO2+Py, C-Eu2O3 + F-ZrO2+Py, Py + F-ZrO2 + T-ZrO2, Py + F-CeO2 + T-ZrO2).