Preparation of crystal-controlled Y-TZP/Al2O3 nanocomposites

ZrO2-Y2O3-Al2O3 nanocrystalline powders with different grain sizes have been synthesized using a chemical coprecipitation method. Nano-powders were compacted uniaxially and densified in a vacuum hot-pressing furnace. Density, pore size distribution, grain size and composition of the composites were determined by various techniques, including BET gas absorption, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). It has been shown that the porosity, grain and pore size of the ceramics can be controlled by the initial powder size and sintering temperature. Fully densified ceramics with narrow grain size distribution in the range of 100 ∼ 500 nm could be obtained.