Effect of TiO2 addition on densification, microstructure, and mechanical properties of CSZTA

Abstract

The effect of TiO2 addition on densification, microstructure, and mechanical behaviour of Ceria Stabilized Zirconia Toughened Alumina (CSZTA) was studied in the present work. CSZTA powders with various concentrations (0–10 wt%) of TiO2 were synthesized using the co-precipitation method. The powders were compacted into ϕ 10 mm pellets using a uniaxial hydraulic press and sintered in the presence of air at various sintering schedules. The TiO2 content and sintering schedule were optimized based on density, phases present, microstructure, and mechanical properties of the sintered sample. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) was used to identify the phases present, and the Rietveld refinement method was used to quantify phases from the XRD patterns. Microstructures of sintered samples were studied using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The hardness and indentation fracture toughness was determined using a Vickers hardness tester. It was found that the addition of TiO2 to CSZTA improved sinterability and reduced the sintering temperature from 1600 °C to 1400 °C. The maximum Vickers hardness of up to 1591 HV10 with an optimum fracture toughness of 7.42 MPa.√m was observed for 4 wt%TiO2 - CSZTA sample sintered at 1400 °C for 3 h.