Zirconium silicide

Chemical Properties

Gray solid. Soluble in hydrogen fluoride; insoluble in water and aqua regia.

Uses

Zirconium silicide (Zr3Si2) has been identified as promising material for the neutron reflector in a gas cooled reactor.

Uses

Zirconium silicate is used for manufacturing refractory materials. It is also used in production of some ceramics, enamels, and ceramic glazes. In enamels and glazes it serves as an opacifier. zirconium silicate is as beads for milling and grinding.

Uses

Coatings resistant to flame or blast impingement, special alloys.

Flammability and Explosibility

Not classified

Synthesis

A method for preparing zirconium silicide nanomaterials, comprising the steps of:

(1) adding 5 mmol of zirconium dioxide, 5 mmol of silicon powder and 50 mmol of lithium metal to a 20 ml stainless steel autoclave and closing it, then placing the autoclave into an electric furnace capable of programmed heating, setting the heating rate of the furnace at 10C per minute, heating the furnace to 600C, maintaining the reaction for 40 hours after the completion of the heating and cooling the reaction naturally to room temperature after the reaction, then opening the autoclave to remove the product (black deposit);

(2) The reaction product was first washed once with distilled water, and then washed once each with dilute hydrochloric acid and anhydrous ethanol, respectively, and the washed product was filtered, and then dried in a vacuum drying oven at 60 for 4 hours to obtain zirconium silicide nanomaterials, and based on the mass of prepared zirconium silicide nanomaterials and the mass of raw material zirconium dioxide used, it was concluded that the yield of zirconium silicide was 85%.

The above reaction process is shown as follows:

ZrO₂+Si+4Li = ZrSi+2Li₂O