Growth and Structure of Zirconium Hydrous Polymers in Aqueous Solutions

Zirconium oxychloride solutions prepared at different pH were heated at elevated temperatures for various aging periods to gain an understanding of the growth mechanism and structure of zirconium hydrous polymers. Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements were made on these solutions. It was observed that shape of clusters at the earlier stages of growth is close to a rod rather than a sheet as suggested earlier. The scattering data indicate that a rod-shaped primary particle is formed at pH 1.2, and on an increase in the pH, the primary particles become more branched. On aging more than 1250 min at 92°C, these primary particles form large aggregates while retaining the primary particle structure. These aggregates, which are mass fractal in nature, restructure while growing in size and eventually transform into dense particles. Scattering data in this study were not enough to determine a specific kinetic growth model of the aggregates because the scattering intensity at low q constantly changes with time during the restructuring process. Copyright 1997 Academic Press. Copyright 1997Academic Press