Structure-property relations for a phase-pure, nanograined tetragonal zirconia ceramic stabilized with minimum CaO doping

Dense (similar to 97%) CaO-stabilized ZrO2 ceramic was stabilized with minimum (3 mol%) doping (reported to date) and processed via conventional sintering at a low temperature (similar to 1200 degrees C); compositional analysis via X-ray florescence confirmed the CaO doping accuracy. Phase-pure tetragonal structure (characterized via both X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy) along with uniform nanograins (90 nm) of the ceramic ensured the evolution of no monoclinic phase even after vigorous low-temperature degradation experiments (both thermal and hydrothermal aging for 80-100 h). The sintered ceramic recorded a high hardness (similar to 15 GPa); the indentation toughness value was also comparable to a 3 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia system. The remarkable structure-property correlations in the 3 mol% CaO-stabilized ZrO2 ceramic suggests that the same may be worth examining for suitable future applications (e.g., in dental ceramics).