STUDY OF ZRO2 COATINGS BY THERMOANALYTICAL AND FOURIER SPECTROSCOPIC METHODS

The formation mechanism of ZrO2 - used for the stabilization of electr ocatalytic thin films - from ZrOCl2 . 8H(2)O precursor was followed as the function of the firing temperature for the powder form as well as for the form of a thin film deposited on a titanium support. It was f ound that an intramolecular hydrolysis takes place upon heating, resul ting in the liberation of hydrogen chloride. XRD, FT-IR and FT-Raman i nvestigations revealed that polymorphism occurs in the oxide film. The upper surface of the film is of tetragonal structure, while the bulk is of cubic form stabilized by TiO2 formed by oxidation of the support .