Penetration of Liquid Glass Phase into Porous (3Y-TZP/Al2O3) Composite

Abstract

3 mol% yttria stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystalline/Alumina (3Y-TZP/Al2O3)-Glass composite was fabricated successfully by infiltration of liquid glass phase into (3Y-TZP/Al2O3) porous body. Porous (3Y-TZP) was prepared first by pressing the powder mixture of (3Y-TZP) with 20 wt.% of nano alumina Al2O3 and )0,10,20,30,40) wt.% of graphite particles uniaxially to form cylindrical shaped specimens. The specimens were sintered at 1500 °C for 2 hours. The glass mixture of (18wt.% of hydroxide lithium, 78wt.% feldspar and 10 wt.% of nano titanium dioxide) were melt infiltrated into porous (3Y-TZP/Al2O3) at 1185 ᵒC by capillary pressure to form composites. The glass amount penetrated into porous 3Y-TZP/Al2O3 depends on the amount and size of porosity exist in the alumina toughened zirconia (ATZ) structure. The results showed that the amount of glass infiltrated through (3Y-TZP/Al2O3) structure depends on the amount and size of pores. Increasing the amount of porosity and its size led to decrease the capillary action within pores through specific time. The porosity of the specimens was in the range of (7-50.5) %, while the diametrical strength values were in the range of (80.1-26.7) MPa. The glass infiltration process shows a very low values of shrinkage ranging from (0.21% to 0.31%)