4. Synthesis of stabilized zirconia

The first zirconias stabilized in cubic form at room temperature were obtained in France by F. Trombe and M. Foex using a solar furnace. . These were CaO-stabilized zirconias. The range of stabilizing oxides subsequently expanded thanks to the work of J. Stocker and R. Collongues, who were able to establish the rules governing the stabilization of zirconia . There are now a number of synthetic routes for obtaining stabilized zirconia. These methods generally lead to powders of controlled particle size. The synthesis routes generally involve a liquid medium, but some methods involve reactions between solids. In the following, we present some of these methods. This list is far from exhaustive, but it gives an idea of the types of synthesis used.