Effect of Sintering on Phase Transformation Behavior and Morphology of Calcinated 5 Wt% Mg-PSZ

Abstract

The zirconia structure can undergo a transformation during cooling after the sintering. The zirconia phase is stabilized by adding a doped magnesia stabilizer to the zirconia matrix. This study observed the effect of calcination temperature on the synthesis of Mg-PSZ on its phase transformation. The synthesis process was carried out with various calcinated temperatures of 600, 800 and 1000°C, with a concentration of MgO 5 wt%. Based on XRD analysis, Mg-PSZ crystal size was in the nanometer scale. The Mg-PSZ phases with 5% MgO at calcinated temperatures of 600, 800 and 1000°C were cubic, tetragonal and monoclinic respectively with each space group being Fm3m, P42/nmc and P21/c. In addition to the phase transition, the calcination temperature also affected the crystallinity of Mg-PSZ; the higher is calcination temperature, the lower is crystallinity. Based on TEM analysis at a calcination temperature of 800°C, the Mg-PSZ microstructure showed predominantly spherical nanoparticles.