Mechanical properties of microwave sintered 8 mol% yttria stabilized zirconia

This paper reports the synthesis and characteristics of nano sized 8 mol% yttria stabilized zirconia (8YSZ). The nano sized 8YSZ powder (15 nm) has been prepared by the sol-gel technique. The phase formation was confirmed by the X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis and the particle size verified by transmission electron microscope (TEM). The prepared 8YSZ green samples were sintered in a microwave furnace at 1500°C for three different holding times, such as 5, 10 and 15 min. The density of the sintered samples was measured with the Archimedes method. This method revealed 98% of theoretical density of the 8YSZ sample. The surface morphology of the sintered samples was examined by the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The mechanical properties, including nanohardness, elastic modulus and coefficient of friction of the high density sample have been evaluated.     Key words: Sol-gel, nano 8YSZ, microwave sintering, nano hardness, elastic modulus, coefficient of friction.