MICROWAVE SINTERING OF NANOCRYSTALLINE 8YSZ: EFFECT OF HEATING SCHEDULE ON MICROSTRUCTURE, IONIC CONDUCTIVITY, AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

Abstract

Nanocrystalline 8 mol.% yttria-stabilized zirconia powder prepared from a combustion synthesis route has been sintered using microwave (MW) energy by two routes: Conventional one-step and a novel two-step method. The final products from the two routes have been compared regarding their microstructure, ion-conductivity, and mechanical properties. It is shown that it is possible to produce highly dense compacts with significant smaller grains using the novel two-step MW sintering method with significant smaller energy consumption with respect to conventional one-step MW assisted sintering. The novel method is able to produce sintered samples with near similar ionic conductivity at temperatures higher than 700°C and slightly lower mechanical properties at room temperature.