ELECTROPHORETIC DEPOSITION AND ITS USE TO SYNTHESIZE ZRO2/AL2O3 MICRO-LAMINATE CERAMIC-CERAMIC COMPOSITES

Electrophoretic deposition has been employed to synthesize yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)/alumina, laminar microcomposites with a total of 80 layers, > 2 mm. 10 wt% solids, ethanol suspensions of YSZ or Al2O3 powders were deposited layer by layer. The deposited samples had a green density, approximately 60% theoretical. The deposition process was characterized by the rate-of-deposition as a function of voltage and the microstructure of the sintered, theoretically dense samples was characterized by optical and electron microscopy. Microindentation was used to explore the mechanical properties of the laminates.