Local Structure Analysis on Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia by X-ray Fluorescence Holography

Y and Zr Kα X-ray fluorescence holography measurements were carried out on a single crystal of yttria-stabilized zirconia with 13 mol% of yttria at room temperature to investigate the local structures around the impurity Y and host Zr atoms. Around the central Y atom, the images of the surrounding Zr/Y atoms are seen as a face-centered-cubic (fcc) sub-lattice. Thus, the impurity Y atoms are sure to be replaced with the Zr atoms as expected earlier. In addition, strong images are also observed, by which some of the Y atoms are located at the interstitial positions at the center of the fcc lattice. The atomic images around the central Zr atom are very weak, indicating large lattice distortions around the Zr atom. Some images outside of the ideal fcc lattice indicate that the local structures around the Zr atoms are similar to the original pure monoclinic ZrO2, and some of them would be rotated due probably to the interstitial doping of the impurity Y atoms