Role of Ce2Zr3O10 Phase on the Microstructure and Fracture Toughness of ZTA Composites

Despite the impressive development in understanding transformation toughening, tailoring the toughness of zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) ceramics remained a major challenge. In our research, a simple route based on the powders mixing process of ZTA powders with varying CeO2 additions (0 - 10 wt.%) is developed to investigate this issue. The experimental results clearly reveal that the fracture toughness of ZTA ceramics can be tailored by mixing of ZTA starting powders.