PREPARATION AND STUDY OF MICROSTRUCTURE OF YTTRIA AND CERIA STABILIZED TETRAGONAL ZIRCONIA POLYCRYSTALS FOR DENTAL APPLICATIONS

The overall aim of this work was the preparation of two different zirconia ceramics material stabilized in their tetragonal form by 3mol% of Yttria (3Y-TZP) and 12mol% of Cerria (12Ce-TZP), study the different sintering paramaters and their influence of the phase transformation, density and microstructure. 3Y-TZP and 12Ce-TZP powders after freeze granulation an freeze drying by 48h were subjected for unaxial pressing with pressure of 50MPa and then for Cold Isostatic pressing with pressure of 350MPa. Prepared materials were sintered in four different temperatures 1300°C, 1400°C, 1450°C and 1500°C with the dwell time 2h. After sintering the phase and microstructure analysis were carried out. The aim of the experiments is to select the best sintering method in order to obtain the finest microstructure of prepared Y-TZP and Ce-TZP ceramics and to evaluate their resistance for Low Temperature Degradation (LTD) and corrosion tests in acetic environmen