Zirconia (ZrO2)is the basic material for special ceramics, advanced refractory materials, optical communication devices, new energy materials, and is used in various wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant mechanical parts, bearings, dynamic seals, high-temperature structural ceramics, optical articulation plug-ins, and solid-state fuel cells. Composite zirconia can be used as a substitute for metal materials. Functional materials field due to the special optical properties and electrical properties of zirconia, in some emerging industries such as fiber optic components connectors have also been promoted. In the field of energy materials, zirconia materials made of solid fuel cells, with a small size, high energy conversion characteristics. In the field of biomaterials, zirconia materials are used in a large number of medical applications due to their excellent bioactivity and compatibility with artificial joints and teeth. Zirconia material also has a place in the field of national defense and aerospace due to its high temperature resistance, high strength and high toughness, and is used in the shell of tanks, the protective layer of space shuttles and so on. In addition, zirconium chloride is the raw material for the preparation of zirconium metal, which has amazing corrosion resistance, extremely high melting point, ultra-high hardness and strength, etc., and is widely used in the fields of aerospace, military industry, nuclear reaction and atomic energy. Because of its small thermal neutron capture cross section and outstanding nuclear properties, zirconium can be used as a reactor core structural material. As long as one thousandth of zirconium is added to steel, the hardness and strength will be amazingly high. Zirconium-containing armor steel, artillery forging steel, stainless steel and heat-resistant steel are important materials for the manufacture of armored vehicles, tanks, artillery and bullet-proof plates and other weapons.
Zirconium tetrachloride (ZrCl4) can be used as a precursor material to synthesize zirconium-containing chloride solid electrolytes.
This solid state electrolyte has high ionic conductivity and wide electrochemical stabilization window, which is one of the keys to the success of solid state batteries. An important advantage of halide solid-state electrolytes is that they are compatible with high-voltage cathode materials, which means they can be used to make batteries with higher energy densities. In addition, halide electrolytes tend to have good processability and can be used to prepare dense electrolyte films by hot pressing and sintering, which is very advantageous for achieving miniaturization and integration of batteries.