Ball mills are widely used grinding equipment in the field of material preparation. They achieve the purpose of refinement or mixing by impacting and frictionally grinding materials within a rotating cylinder using grinding media (such as ceramic balls, steel balls, etc.). Whether a ball mill can grind acidic zirconium dioxide requires analysis from both material properties and equipment compatibility perspectives.

Zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂) itself is chemically stable, possessing high hardness, corrosion resistance, and high-temperature resistance, and is commonly used in ceramics, electronics, and biomedical materials. However, when zirconium dioxide is in an acidic environment (for example, coexisting with hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, etc.), its surface may undergo microstructural changes due to acid etching. If metal grinding jars or grinding balls are used, the acidic environment can easily cause corrosion, not only contaminating the sample but also potentially damaging the equipment. Therefore, when grinding zirconium dioxide containing acidic components, a chemically inert non-metallic grinding system must be selected, such as a combination of a full ceramic liner and zirconium dioxide grinding balls, to avoid cross-contamination and equipment damage.

In addition, the acid concentration, temperature, and time must be controlled during the grinding process to prevent excessive reactions from affecting product purity or particle size distribution. Experiments show that, under appropriate conditions, a ball mill with inert materials can effectively process acidic zirconium dioxide slurry, obtaining uniform fine powder that meets the requirements of subsequent processes.