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Title: Low-temperature aging of t prime -zirconia; The role of microstructure on phase stability

Journal Article · · Journal of the American Ceramic Society; (United States)
; ;  [1]
  1. Utah Univ., Salt Lake City, UT (United States). Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering

This paper reports on polycrystalline, tetragonal (t{prime}) zirconia samples containing 3 and 4 mol% yttria that were fabricated by annealing pressureless-sintered samples in air at {approximately} 2100{degrees} C for 15 min. The grain size of these fully tetragonal samples was on the order of 100 to 200 {mu}m. Domain structure of the samples and of a 3-mol%-yttria-doped tetragonal zirconia single crystal was examined by transmission optical microscopy under polarized light and by transmission electron microscopy. The orientations of the domain/colony boundaries were in accord with the predictions of group theory. As-polished surfaces of polycrystalline t{prime} materials showed no monoclinic phase even after 1000 h at 275{degrees} C in air. By contrast, conventionally yttria-doped tetragonal zirconia polycrystalline (Y-TZP) ceramics of grain size {gt}0.5 {mu}m showed substantial transformation. Surface grinding enhanced the resistance to degradation of Y-TZP but decreased that of t{prime} materials. Even then, the t{prime} materials exhibited better resistance to degradation than the Y-TZP ceramics. Excellent resistance of the t{prime} materials to low-temperature aging despite a very large grain size and the opposite effect of grinding on phase stability are all explained on the basis of ferroelastic domain structure of these materials.

OSTI ID:
5835055
Journal Information:
Journal of the American Ceramic Society; (United States), Vol. 74:8; ISSN 0002-7820
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English