Gelcasting of zirconia using agarose

Gelcasting of zirconia with agarose as a gelling agent was evaluated, and the rheological behavior of the suspensions was studied. For certain compositions, a viscosity low enough for the suspensions to be processed as well as a sufficient wet green strength to avoid deformation of cast components due to mechanical stresses was obtained. Futhermore, it was possible to increase the storage modulus of the cast material by a reduction of the gelation temperature, which facilitated demolding. Sintered densities above 99% were achieved and high bending strength was obtained. The results show that the shaping technique has the potential to be used for fabrication of advanced zirconia materials.