Abstract
Low-yttria doped zirconia polycrystals (Y-TZP) have recently emerged as new fine-grained zirconia ceramics exhibiting a promising combination of high fracture toughness and strength. In this investigation, we optimized the strength and fracture toughness of 2Y-TZP ceramics prepared by gelcasting and pressureless sintering. The 2Y-TZP ceramics with optimized processing reached a mean biaxial strength of 1070MPa, similar to the strength obtained for the standard 3Y-TZP ceramics. However, a higher transformability of tetragonal grains in 2Y-TZP ceramics resulted in a stronger transformation toughening effect compared with 3Y-TZP ceramics. The fracture toughness obtained for 2Y-TZP exceeded that of 3Y-TZP (7.7 vs. 5.2MPa m0.5). The differences in the microstructure and toughening mechanism between 2Y-TZP and 3Y-TZP were described, and the potential benefits of the 2Y-TZP were discussed.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
