Zirconium oxide
Properties
Chemical formula: ZrO₂
Name: Zirconium oxide / zirconium(IV) oxide
CAS No.: 1314-23-4
Molar mass: 123.22 g/mol
Density: 5.68 g/cm³ (monoclinic), up to 6.10 g/cm³ (tetragonal/cubic)
Melting point: approx. 2715 °C
Boiling point: approx. 4300 °C
Color: white
Form: fine powder or dense sintered body
Crystal modifications: monoclinic, tetragonal and cubic
Solubility: insoluble in water, alcoholic media and dilute acids and alkalis
Zirconium oxide (ZrO₂) is an inorganic compound and one of the most important materials used in advanced technical ceramics. It is supplied as a fine white powder or as a dense sintered body and combines high thermal stability with excellent mechanical and chemical properties.
ZrO₂ occurs in several temperature-dependent crystal modifications. The monoclinic phase is stable up to approximately 1170 °C, the tetragonal phase from around 1170 to 2370 °C, while the cubic phase forms at still higher temperatures.
Adding stabilizers such as yttrium oxide Y₂O₃, magnesium oxide MgO or calcium oxide CaO makes it possible to retain tetragonal or cubic structures at room temperature. This enables the production of partially stabilized zirconia and materials such as Y-TZP and PSZ.
A particularly important feature is transformation toughening. Under mechanical stress, a localized phase transformation can hinder crack propagation, giving stabilized zirconia ceramics a valuable combination of high strength and fracture toughness.
Zirconium oxide is insoluble in water and resistant to many dilute acids and alkalis. It can, however, dissolve in hot concentrated sulfuric acid and hydrofluoric acid. The material also offers low thermal conductivity, high wear resistance and good biocompatibility, supporting its use in demanding technical and medical ceramic components.
Industrial production is mainly based on thermal decomposition of zirconium salts or chemical precipitation from zirconium oxychloride solutions followed by calcination.
Zirconium and its compounds are particularly important in dentistry, medical technology, advanced ceramics, sensors, fuel cells and optical materials. Would you like to buy zirconium oxide? Auremo can provide information about available purity grades, stabilization systems and product forms. The zirconium price, zirconium metal price and zirconium price per kg primarily refer to metallic zirconium, while the zirconium oxide price depends on purity, phase composition, stabilization, product form and quantity.
Advantages
• High fracture toughness through transformation toughening
• High mechanical strength
• Good biocompatibility
• High hardness and wear resistance
• Low thermal conductivity
• High thermal stability
• Resistance to a broad range of chemical environments
• Tetragonal and cubic phases can be stabilized at room temperature
Applications
• Metal-free dental crowns and bridges
• Dental abutments
• Endoprosthetic components
• High-performance cutting tools
• Forming tools
• Pump plungers and sealing rings
• Wear-resistant and sandblasting components
• Synthetic zirconia for jewelry and optical applications
• Protective coatings
• Solid electrolytes for lambda sensors
• Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC)
• Oxygen sensors
Auremo offers zirconium oxide and other advanced ceramic materials for industrial, medical and research applications. If you have questions about purity, stabilizer system, product form or delivery conditions, please contact us directly.
