Effect of Spark Plasma Sintering Temperature on the Properties of Transparent YSZ Ceramics

Resumo

A transparent submicron-grain sized cubic yttria-stabilized ZrO₂ ceramics was obtained by spark plasma sintering in the temperature range from 1200 to 1400°C at a relatively low pre-pressing pressure (100 MPa). The produced ceramic samples have demonstrated high light transmission in the visible and near-infrared spectral regions. The paper presents elastoplastic properties and microstructure of the ceramics and discusses the relationship between the optical and elastoplastic characteristics, as well as microstructure.