Pore growth during initial and intermediate stages of sintering in ZrO 2–3 mol% Y 2O 3 compact: a small-angle neutron scattering investigation

Abstract

Small-angle neutron scattering technique has been employed to investigate the evolution of pore morphology during the initial and the intermediate stages of sintering in ZrO 2–3 mol% Y 2O 3. These results show that although there is a reduction in the porosity due to the elimination of the pores, the average growth in the pore size takes place during the sintering. This trend in pore growth corroborates the results of computer simulation based on the Potts model. The SANS data has been analyzed in the light of the polydisperse spherical pore model.