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Keywords:

Science & Technology, Physical Sciences, Technology, Chemistry, Physical, Materials Science, Multidisciplinary, Metallurgy & Metallurgical Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science, Ceramics, Sintering, Microstructure, X-ray diffraction, LOW-TEMPERATURE DEGRADATION, Y-TZP, ZIRCONIA, TRANSFORMATION, WATER, 0204 Condensed Matter Physics, 0912 Materials Engineering, 0914 Resources Engineering and Extractive Metallurgy, Materials, 4016 Materials engineering, 5104 Condensed matter physics

Abstract:

Yttria + neodymia co-stabilised tetragonal ZrO2 ceramics were developed in an attempt to improve the low temperature degradation resistance of classical Y-TZP ceramics. The influence of the partial substitution of Y3+ by Nd3+ on the phase composition, crystallography, microstructure and mechanical properties was assessed by comparison with 2Y and 3Y-TZP ceramics. Moreover, the hydrothermal stability was tested during 21 h in steam at 200 °C. Although the (Y, Nd)-TZP ceramics are not hydrothermally stable, the phase transformation is limited to the surface region of the material avoiding complete degradation as observed for Y-TZP ceramics. The improved stability is explained in terms of an expanded unit cell parameter and reduced T0 temperature. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.