Cubic zirconia

Mohs hardness 8.0-8.5
Zirconium is not too abundant but
within the its 5th period in the PTOE
and beyond it is most abundant.

It is cubic but a different structure than
diamond and III-V demiconductors with slightly higher symmetry.

It feature a a network of covalent Zr-O bonds
that follow the edged of a spacefill of rhombic dodecahedral cages with …
– Zr atoms at the sharp corners in {100} directions
– O atoms at the blunt corners in {111} directions

Related

• Zirconium

External links

• [1]

Materials project

• https://next-gen.materialsproject.org/materials/mp-1565
• https://legacy.materialsproject.org/materials/mp-1565

Alternate stoichomettry simple cubic ZrO (NaCl structure)

• https://next-gen.materialsproject.org/materials/mp-10197
• https://legacy.materialsproject.org/materials/mp-10197

Tetragonal ZrO2

• https://next-gen.materialsproject.org/materials/mp-775909
• https://legacy.materialsproject.org/materials/mp-775909

Monoclinic ZrO2 (natural mineral baddeleyite)

• https://next-gen.materialsproject.org/materials/mp-2858
• https://legacy.materialsproject.org/materials/mp-2858