Novel Investigations on the Effects of Temperature and Gamma Radiation Damage on the Electro-Mechanical Properties of Double Doped Zirconia Refractories

In this article, several samples of double doped zirconia were carefully prepared and sintered using various conditions of the high temperature ceramic procedure. On these samples, several measurements were undertaken including porosity, shrinkage, dynamic microhardness and the temperature dependence of DC – electrical conductivity before and after an absorbed energetic γ-radiation dose (5.26 × 107 rd). Results obtained were all in conformity, explained, interpreted and discussed in details on the basis of the interaction of dopand and γ-radiation with either zirconia and/or doped zirconia lattices.