Study of zirconia microporous structure

The microporous structure of zirconium dioxide obtained by precipitation at different pH and different times of gel aging is studied by the physical adsorption of nitrogen, oxygen, and molecular hydrogen. It is shown that the ratio between the supermicropore surface areas measured by the adsorption of O-2 and N-2 as a function of the supermicropore volume previously revealed for SnO2 is also retained for zirconia (the surface area of supermicropores measured by O-2 adsorption is larger than that measured by N-2 adsorption). Possible reasons for this phenomenon are discussed. The conclusions on the factors responsible for the formation of the zirconia microporous structure are drawn.