Investigation of the Zirconium Forms in Nickel Melts Containing Exogenous Refractory Oxide Nanophases

Abstract

New methods for quantifying the contents of various zirconium forms in nickel, namely, zirconium solved in metal and zirconium in the form of ZrO₂, are developed using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. It is shown that, upon the introduction of 0.40 wt % ZrO₂ nanoparticles, the Zr ratio in a melt both in solution and in the form of ZrO₂ nanoparticles is 1 : 80, i.e., about 99% of Zr is in the form of ZrO₂. It was found that the ratio of nanoparticles in a composite material briquette affects the processes of nanoparticle assimilation by liquid metal, and ZrO₂ nanoparticles lyophobic toward nickel have a tendency for agglomeration with the formation of a high-temperature carcass.