Stabilization of phase‐pure tetragonal zirconia ceramics with minimum CeO2 doping and associated benefits

Abstract

AbstractIn the quest of finding the minimum ceria doping for a stabilized zirconia matrix, we report a remarkable structure–property correlation for a high (> 99%) density, fine grained (∼100 nm), fully phase‐pure (confirmed via both slow scan X‐ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy) tetragonal 10 mol.% CeO2‐doped zirconia ceramics (10Ce‐TZP). A starting near spherical, ultrafine (∼7 nm) powders with high surface area (∼170 m2/g) ensured the conventional pressureless sintering at 1150°C without the need of any additives, binders, and/or sintering aid to achieve this high density. No monoclinic phase was traced at the end of the low‐temperature degradation test for 100 h in boiling water; negligible (∼5% monoclinic phase) amounts showed up in the thermal quenching tests. The sintered 10Ce‐TZP ceramic recorded comparable/better hardness and indentation toughness value with respect to higher (i.e., 12 mol.%) ceria doped‐zirconia systems. For the first time, nanograined translucent 10Ce‐TZP ceramic portrayed a remarkable transmittance of ∼38% at 600 nm wavelength for 0.6 mm thick pellet.