SMALL-ANGLE NEUTRON-SCATTERING STUDIES OF CERAMIC NANOPHASE MATERIALS

Undisturbed, representative microstructures in nanophase or nanostruct ured ceramic oxides can be non-destructively characterized using small -angle neutron scattering (SANS). By using samples of sufficient size and uniformity to obtain absolutely-calibrated SANS data, and by utili zing a suitably-flexible microstructural model, quantitative parameter s can be extracted for the statistically-significant grain/pore size d istributions and surface-areas in a range of nanophase microstructures . It has been found that all of the observed SANS can be accounted for without including a low-density disordered phase. These issues are di scussed with reference to sintering studies of nanostructured zirconia and yttria-stabilized zirconia, particularly an assessment of the eff ectiveness of vacuum-sinter-forging.