Role of praseodymium on zirconia phases stabilization

The system zirconia-praseodymia (Pr content 0-15 mol %) has been investigated to evaluate the praseodymium solubility and its role in the zirconia phase stability. The powders have been synthesized by coprecipitation and subsequent calcination at different temperatures (400-1000 degreesC) for 2 h. The crystal structure of the obtained nanocrystalline (Zr, Pr)-O-2 powders has been studied by X-ray diffraction. By applying the Rietveld method, the dopant effect on the zirconia phase stability was found and discrimination between the different zirconia polymorphs was possible.