Preparation and characterization of three-dimensional ordered macroporous ZrO2 by two-step templating process

Three-dimensional ordered macroporous (3DOM) ZrO2 materials were prepared by using 3DOM carbon materials as templates and ZrOCl2 solution as precursor. 3DOM carbon materials were first prepared by using SiO2 templates and traditional colloidal crystal templating process, then ZrOCl2 solution used as zirconium source was infiltrated into the structure of 3DOM carbon and solidified. Finally, 3DOM carbon materials were removed through sintering process and 3DOM ZrO2 materials were obtained. The microstructures of obtained samples were studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) with energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The final macroporous ZrO2 could successfully replicate the 3DOM structure of carbon and had less than 5% shrinkage. The result indicates that 3DOM carbon could be efficiently used as two-step templated materials and obtained 3DOM ZrO2 had a very small shrinkage.