5YSZ POWDERS FROM GELS - DENSIFICATION AND MICROSTRUCTURE CHARACTERIZATION

Five mol% yttria doped zirconia powders were prepared by controlled hy drolysis of alkoxides. Their sintering behavior was monitored by dilat ometry to optimize the sintering schedule. The compact bodies were cha racterized by SEM and quantitative analysis of their X-ray patterns. R e-sintering under axial pressure slightly improved the final relative density of the zirconia powders at the expense of a grain size increas e that, however, for most of them remains submicrometric. (C) 1998 Els evier Science Limited. All rights reserved.