The nanoparticle-coating process: a potential sol-gel route to homogeneous nanocomposites

A sol-gel process was developed for fabricating inherently homogeneous nanocomposites involving: (a) precipitation of nanoparticles; (b) coating the nanoparticles with a film of matrix phase, and; (c) powder forming and sintering. Die-pressed ZrO 2(nanoparticle)–glass(matrix) specimens were pressureless sintered at 1100°C. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of these partially sintered specimens revealed a uniform arrangement of nanopores (∼10 −8 m), suggesting homogeneous ZrO 2 nanoparticle distribution.