Zircon Industry Association, 24 Old Bond Street, Mayfair, London W1S 4AP, UK
 

Publications Review

The Zircon Industry Association annually identifies the most popular areas of research relating to zircon and its downstream derivatives.

Following a review of over 2,600 peer-reviewed papers published in 2019, it has been possible to identify these areas of research and make an informed assumption as to the likely potential for industrial application.

Literature search

Specialists at Centro Ceramico, Bologna (Italy) carried out the literature search and categorised the papers into subject areas. Those areas with more than 30 publications were considered to have a high potential market demand, indicating that the interest of the scientific community is high and, therefore, the application might merit exploitation at an industrial level.

The most popular fields of zircon-related research were as follows:

  1. Nanomaterials, nanorods, nanostructures and nanofabrication
  2. Advanced coating and functional materials
  3. Biomedical applications
  4. Advanced ceramics
  5. Fuel cells
  6. Catalysis

General information on the use of zircon in these areas can be found in the ceramics and applications sections of our website.

Download pie chart (PDF) / Download bar chart (PDF)


The 2,639 papers in 2019 fell into the following areas of research:

Publications Review
Publications Review

Most popular areas of research

1. Nanomaterials, nanorods, nanostructures and nanofabrication

The most popular field of research in 2019 was nanomaterials, nanorods, nanostructures and nanofabrication. 37% of the 545 papers were focused on industrial applications. These included:

  • ZrO2 and ZrO2 composite thin films with magnetic, ferroelectric and dielectric properties
  • ZrO2 and ZrO2 composite thin films and thin coatings for anti-wear and anti-corrosion applications
  • Zirconium oxide doped carbon nanotubes and zirconium nanotubes

2. Biomedical

The second most popular field of research in 2019 was biomedical applications. Of the 485 papers in this field, 49% focused on industrial applications. These included:

  • ZrO2 and ZrO2 composites with treated or functionalised surface (e.g. with hydroxyapatite or bioglass) for better osteointegration or adhesion and/or bioactivity
  • ZrO2 and ZrO2 composites for dental crowns, bridges, implants, veneers
  • Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with radiolabelled Zr89

These have potential applications within the fields of dental and orthopaedic implants, bioimaging and tumour diagnosis.


3. Advanced coating and functional materials

The third most popular area of research was within the field of advanced coating and functional materials. 78% of the 444 papers in this area were focused on industrial applications, including:

  • Zr compounds and ZrO2 composites as protective coatings for ceramics against heat, wear, abrasion and corrosion. Also as protective thermal barrier coatings for metals, alloys and glasses.
  • Zr and ZrO2 composite coatings produced by new techniques such as plasma spray, pulse electrodeposition, aerosol gas deposition
  • Zr compounds and ZrO2 composite coatings to enhance bioactivity, antimicrobial properties and corrosion resistance of implants

These have potential applications in the fields of aerospace, automotive, power plants, petroleum industries, chemical processing and possible biomedical applications.


4. Advanced ceramics

The next most popular area of research was advanced ceramics. Of the 322 papers in this area, 39% focused on industrial applications including:

  • Zirconia ceramics and composites (PZT and doped PZT) with piezoelectric and dielectrics properties
  • Ultra-high temperature and corrosion zirconia-based ceramics
  • Zirconia and zirconia based composites for dental implants and dental parts (crowns, bridges, veneers, screws and abutments)
  • Zr alloys and Zr as alloying elements in metals

These have potential applications in the fields of electronics, automotive, power plants, petroleum industries, chemical processing, biomedical and dental applications.

Other areas of research

The area of zirconia use in fuel cells saw increased research interest this year with 42% of the 257 papers focused on industrial applications including ZrO2 and ZrO2 composites, anodes for solid oxide fuel cells and Zr compounds, ZrO2 and ZrO2 composites as electrolyte for solid oxide fuel cells. Importantly, these have potential applications in clean, efficient electricity generation, renewable fuel production and electricity storage. Catalysis was also an area that saw increased research interest in 2019 with 244 paper published, 72% of which focused on industrial applications. These included research on Zr compounds, ZrO2 and ZrO2 composites as catalysts and catalyst support for gas catalysis e.g. CO oxidation, methane decomposition, dehydration and dehydrogenation reactions, ethanol conversion, SO2 reduction and H2 production.

Other areas of research in 2019 included adsorption and immobilisation, electronics, cast moulding, sensing, optical materials as well as grinding media.

Research trends

The four annual literature reviews between 2016 and 2019 offer an opportunity to identify research trends. Throughout this four-year period, the areas of advanced ceramics and biomedical research have remained popular areas of research, each with significant potential for industrial applications. While the areas of nanomaterials, nanorods, nanostructures and nanofabrication and advanced coating and functional materials have both grown in popularity based on the number of peer-reviewed publications.

The full literature review is available to ZIA members.

A summary of the results from the 2018 literature review can be downloaded here.

Market Support & Development

We aim to support the zircon market by responding to industry issues, by developing new applications for zircon and by enhancing existing applications for zircon wherever possible.