- Zirconia is a white solid used in ceramic glazes, refractory coatings, synthetic diamond substitutes, and dental crowns.
- Zirconium metal belongs to the same group on the periodic table as titanium, hafnium, and rutherfordium. Its products are commonly found in ceramic paints and pigments tableware, electrical equipment and other electronic applications, and fire-resistant products.
- The most naturally occurring form of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) is the mineral baddellite, which has a monoclinic crystal structure. This means you have vectors of unequal length. That is, two vectors are orthogonal to each other, and the third vector intersects the other two vectors at an angle other than 90°, forming a cuboid with a parallelogram base. Buddellite is transparent or translucent, highly reflective, and varies in color from clear to yellow, green to dark brown. Zirconia can be produced in a variety of ways.
- Thermal dissociation or calcination (heated to high temperature in air or oxygen)
- Decomposition by fusion with:
- Sodium hydroxide
- sodium
- Calcium oxide and magnesium oxide
- Potassium silicofluoride
- calcium carbonate
- Chlorination (reaction of zirconium dioxide, carbon, and chlorine)
- Carbonization (carbothermal reduction of zirconium oxide with graphite).
super ceramics
Zirconia is one of the most studied ceramic materials. Its crystal structure is monoclinic at room temperature, but changes to tetragonal or cubic at high temperatures. Although pure zirconia is incredibly strong, it reveals weaknesses when heated, as a phase change changes its physical properties and can cause internal stresses and cracks. These can be stabilized with yttrium oxide, and stabilized products experience less stress and cracking during phase changes.
Zirconium oxide’s primary use is in hard ceramics, but it is also used in protective coatings, refractory materials, insulators, abrasives, or wear-resistant parts, typically in industrial machinery and enamels. This material is biocompatible and has no adverse effects on bone or muscle, making it ideal for dental applications as well as femoral head replacement. shine bright like a diamond
Zirconia is often used in jewelry as a diamond replacement. Cubic zirconia is a cubic crystal form of zirconium oxide that does not exist naturally and must be synthesized. The resulting stone is hard, measuring 8.5 on the Mons scale (scale of mineral hardness), and is visually perfect and colorless. However, it can be colored, making it a popular gemstone and diamond alternative.
Cubic zirconia has nearly the same properties as diamond in terms of brilliance, refraction, and durability, and even the most experienced jeweler can have difficulty telling them apart without the help of a thermal conductivity test (Cubic zirconia is a low conductor, while diamond is a high conductor). bad conductor). very good heat conductor). They can be cut like diamonds and achieve the same brilliance as their more expensive counterparts.
Thanks to its resistance to high temperatures, this stone can be set in jewelry without gluing. However, unlike precious diamonds, its durability makes it perfect for everyday use.
coronation ceremony
Zirconia is often used in place of porcelain as crowns to cover damaged teeth or implants, or in fixed partial dentures. The durable material makes it ideal for crowns at the back of the mouth where high strength is required for chewing and grinding food.
The crown is made from a block of zirconia that is milled to the shape of the tooth using a computer-controlled cutting machine before being cemented into the patient’s mouth. This process can be completed in one appointment, making zirconia crowns a more popular choice than traditional porcelain crowns, which can take weeks to create on their own.
Zirconia is best known in cubic form as a replacement for diamonds in jewelry, but this material has many other uses, especially in dentistry, where it is a more aesthetically pleasing alternative to porcelain crowns. , a cost-effective alternative. Not to be forgotten are its electronic applications and use as ceramic paints and pigments.
