The surface modification of ZrO2 particles with quaternized polyvinylimidazole derivatives has been characterized using diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectroscopy and zeta potential measurements. Infrared spectroscopy has been used to determine the adsorbed polymer content. Both the absorbance and the Kubelka-Munk intensities vary linearly with the adsorbed polymer content on the support. zeta potential measurements have been used to study the charge variation of the modified zirconia particles and show that the adsorbed polymer on ZrO2 contributes a net positive charge to ZrO2 in a large range of pH. However the net charge of the particles depends strongly on the physicochemical environment of the support especially with adsorbed electrolytes such as phosphate ions or triethanolamine.