Particle atomic layer deposition of alumina for sintering yttria-stabilized cubic zirconia

O'Toole, Rebecca J.; Bartel, Christopher J.; Kodas, Maila U.; Horrell, Alexa J.; Ricote, Sandrine; Sullivan, Neal P.; Gump, Christopher J.; Musgrave, Charles B.; Weimer, Alan W.

doi:10.1111/jace.16091

Particle atomic layer deposition of alumina for sintering yttria-stabilized cubic zirconia

Journal Article · Wed Sep 19 00:00:00 EDT 2018 · Journal of the American Ceramic Society

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/jace.16091· OSTI ID:1480237

^[1]; Bartel, Christopher J. ^[1]; Kodas, Maila U. ^[1]; Horrell, Alexa J. ^[1]; ^[2]; Sullivan, Neal P. ^[2]; Gump, Christopher J. ^[3]; Musgrave, Charles B. ^[4]; ^[1]

Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)
Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States)
ALD NanoSolutions, Inc. Broomfield CO (United States)
National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)

The addition of aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) as a sintering aid to yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) reduces the required densification temperature. Sintering aids are incorporated using a number of processes which can lead to ambiguity when determining the effect of the sintering aid on the densification mechanism. In this study, a novel method for sintering aid addition, Particle Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD), was used to deposit an amorphous Al₂O₃ thin film on YSZ particles. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed the deposition of conformal Al₂O₃ thin films on the surface of the YSZ particles. The addition of Al₂O₃ to YSZ reduced the temperature at which densification began by ~75 degrees C, and 2.2 wt% Al₂O₃ addition resulted in a minimum activation energy for the intermediate stage of densification. This concentration is well in excess of the solubility limit of Al₂O₃ in YSZ, showing that Al₂O₃ does not enhance the densification of YSZ solely by dissolving into the YSZ lattice and activating volume diffusion. The addition of 0.7 wt% Al₂O₃ with one Particle ALD cycle enhanced the ionic conductivity of YSZ by 23% after sintering at 1350 degrees C for 2 hours, demonstrating that dense parts with high oxygen ion conductivities can be produced after sintering at reduced temperatures. One Particle ALD cycle is a fast, easily scaled-up process that eliminates the use of solvents and has substantial cost/performance advantages over conventional processing.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308

OSTI ID:: 1480237

Report Number(s):: NREL/JA--5K00-72691

Journal Information:: Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Journal Name: Journal of the American Ceramic Society Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 102; ISSN 0002-7820

Publisher:: American Ceramic SocietyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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