Influence of an Amorphous Second Phase on the Properties of Yttria‐Stabilized Tetragonal Zirconia Polycrystals (Y‐TZP)

Abstract

Y‐TZP ceramics with various amounts of glassy intergranular phase were fabricated in order to investigate the effect of this amorphous phase on the properties of TZP. The presence of a liquid silicate phase not only enhanced sintering but also controlled the evolution of distinctly different grain morphologies, dependent on the amount of liquid phase present. The influence of the glass phase on the transformability of grains is discussed with respect to the room‐temperature fracture toughness and surface degradation at 250°C.