Moisture Effects on Selective Laser Flash Sintering of Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia

Selective laser flash sintering (SLFS) combines a uniform electric field with a localized, scanning laser as the only external heating source. The presence of a large uniform electric field can greatly increase the sintering rate and lower the sintering temperature for ceramics. The combination of lower sintering temperature and faster sintering rates may allow SLFS to be used for ceramic additive manufacturing. In this work, we study the effects of moisture on SLFS of yttria-stabilized zirconia ceramic. We compare the effects of processing parameters on the initiation of SLFS for samples exposed to a range of moisture levels.Mechanical Engineerin