Microwave sintering of nanocrystalline YTZP (3 mol%)

Microwave sintering of nanophase Y2O3-ZrO2 (3 mol%), 3-YTZP, to near theoretical density was achieved using a multimode cavity furnace at 2.45 GHz. Sintering is discussed briefly and compared with the conventional sintering process reported in literature. Different characterization techniques have been performed, showing that a small and uniform nanograin structure was developed in fully dense sintered samples. The average grain size of the microwave-sintered specimens, less than 50 nm, was measured, and the creep behaviour of the samples was studied at temperatures between 1,050 degrees C and 1,150 degrees C.