PREPARATION OF YTTRIA-STABILIZED ZIRCONIA MICROTUBE BY ELECTROCHEMICAL VAPOR-DEPOSITION

A microtube of yttria-stabilized zirconia of ca. 100 mu m was formed o ver a surface-oxidized nickel wire with a diameter of 100 mu m by elec trochemical vapor deposition using zirconium tetrachloride and yttrium trichloride as metal sources, and nickel oxide as an oxygen source fo r the reaction. The YSZ-coated wire was then immersed in aqueous 11.5 mol . L(-1) hydrochloric acid to dissolve the nickel and nickel oxide, and a microtube of .8 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia with a cubic cr ystal structure was obtained. The surface of the microtube was rough, but was pinhole-free, from SEM observation. The thickness of the zirco nia layer was about 3 mu m.