Influence of the sintering method on densification, microstructure and electrical conductivity of 12Ce-TZP

Zirconia containing 12 mol-% cerium oxide ceramics were prepared by solid state reaction utilising the conventional, fast firing and two-step sintering methods. The sintering temperature and time were varied aiming to determine ideal sintering profile for these methods. The monoclinic and tetragonal phase contents, microstructure and electrical conductivity of dense specimens were investigated. The linear shrinkage was found negligible up to 1100°C and the maximum rate of shrinkage was achieved at 1150°C. Densification increased up to 2 h for conventional sintered specimens. Stabilisation of tetragonal phase in non-isothermally sintered specimens occurred at a high temperature (1500°C). Specimens sintered by the two-step method attained high density along with small grain sizes. Optimised sintering profiles were determined for all the sintering methods used.