Effect of BaTiO3 addition on structures and mechanical properties of 3Y-TZP ceramics

Effect of BaTiO3 addition on grain size, phase constitution and mechanical properties of 3Y-TZP ceramics was investigated for discussing the possible application of piezoelectric secondary phase toughening process. Under certain conditions, high content of tetragonal zirconia could be obtained with modest amount of BaTiO3 addition, and the hardness of the composite ceramics could be increased with the addition of BaTiO3. However, the increased stability of t-ZrO2 appears as a new problem which obstructs the stress-induced t–m transformation and subsequently suppresses the effect of transformation toughening.