Synthesis and structural analysis of copper-zirconium oxide

A new copper-zirconium oxide was synthesized at ambient pressure in air during a thermal treatment. Its crystal structure was analyzed using X-ray Powder Diffraction, and the atomic ratio between copper and zirconium was found performing a Rietveld analysis. An accurate analysis, also comparing this new compound with others present in the literature and which present a similar structure, enables us to characterize the new mixed oxide well. Scanning electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analyses were also performed in order to completely characterize this new material, which is interesting both from an academic point of view for its crystal structure and from an industrial one due to the formation of copper-zirconium-based shape memory alloys during thermal treatment.