Rémi Valéro, Luc Delmotte, Jean Louis Paillaud, Bernard Durand, Jean Louis Guth and Thierry Chopin
A zircon exhibiting original properties was synthesized under autogenous pressure at 150°C for a few tens of hours. Silicon vacancies in the form of tetrahedral nests [Fn(OH)4–n] were identified by coupling 1H NMR CRAMPS and thermogravimetry. A Rietveld refinement of the structure was performed. The mechanism of the hydrothermal synthesis involves heterocondensation reactions between the Si(OH)4 species and a fluoro-zirconium complex rich in fluorine. Annealing of this fluoro-zircon above 500
°C produces, according to the heating profile, either monoclinic or tetragonal zirconia with a plate-like morphology having an acicular network texture.