MONOCLINIC ZIRCONIUM OXIDE,A PROCESS FOR ITS PREPARATION AND ITS USE

摘要

The invention relates to monoclinic zirconium oxide having an SiO2 content of less than 1% by weight, which is characterised by dendrite-shaped particles having a mean grain size (d50 value) in the range from 0.5 mu m to 3.0 mu m and a specific surface area (BET) in the range from 3 to 15 m<2>/g. The zirconium oxide is prepared by thermal cracking of zirconium silicate in a high-frequency or medium-frequency inductive fusion furnace with a sinter crust crucible, quenching of the melt by blowing air onto a melt jet and/or spraying the latter with water and leaching the thermally cracked zirconium silicate with concentrated alkali metal hydroxide solution at 100 to 200 DEG C. The zirconium oxides according to the invention is distinguished from prior zirconium oxide by its improved suitability for the production of zirconium silicate colouring materials of the host lattice and inclusion types - pigments of higher colour intensity are obtained.