Effect of sintering temperature on phase transformation behavior and hardness of high-pressure high-temperature sintered 10 mol% Mg-PSZ

The sintering process of zirconia ceramics at high pressures is very different from that under normal pressure. In this paper, 10 mol% MgO partially-stabilized zirconia ceramics (Mg-PSZ) were synthesized under a pressure of 2.5 GPa at temperatures ranging from 1370 to 1610 ?C. The effect of sintering temperature on the phase transformation behavior and hardness changes of Mg-PSZ were studied by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectrometry, and Vickers hardness tests. The optimal sintering conditions of 10 mol% MgPSZ were determined. At high pressures, the sintering time was shortened to 60 min, and the sintering temperature was reduced to 1530 ?C, which indicates that the high pressure accelerated the sintering rate. Mg-PSZ reached a maximum Vickers hardness of 14.9 GPa at 1530 ?C, but when the sintering temperature was further increased to 1610 ?C, grain coarsening occurred, and the Vickers hardness decreased to 9.6 GPa.

Automated summary

The sintering process of 10 mol% MgO partially-stabilized zirconia ceramics under high pressure conditions was investigated, and optimal sintering conditions were determined. High pressure accelerated the sintering rate and resulted in higher Vickers hardness for Mg-PSZ.