The role and position of iron in 0.8CaZrO₃-0.2CaFe₂O₄

The aim of the study was to characterize the 0.8CaZrO₃-0.2CaFe₂O₄ composite structure with particular emphasis on the role and position of iron in the function of sintering temperature. The paper presents the results of ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer effect at room temperature. It was found that the increase of sintering temperature causes an increase in the amount of incorporated iron ions in the CaZrO₃-crystal structure. Based on Mössbauer spectroscopy analysis, it was found that three different environments of Fe³⁺ ions were observed in the obtained materials. Two of them corresponded to CaFe₂O₄ phase and one was associated with the substitution of Zr⁴⁺ by Fe³⁺ in the CaZrO₃ structure.