Zirconia/stainless-steel continuous functionally graded material

A close to theoretical density zirconia/stainless steel continuous functionally graded material has been fabricated starting from coarse (approximate to20 mum) commercial metal powder by a wet processing method (pressure slip casting). The shape of the metal concentration profile has been characterized by image treatment. The dependence of the electrical properties of the material with the metal concentration presents a percolative behaviour with a metal-insulator transition, in addition to an increment of the capacity in the neighbourhood of a critical volume concentration, f(c) approximate to 0.285, approximately. Finally, the Vickers hardness vs metal concentration has been determined. Likewise, the results were compared with those obtained from composites with uniform metal concentration. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.