Contribution to the study of the transition to a superstructure in high yttria content YCSZ

This work deals with the interpretation of the diffuse spot array observed in experimental electron diffraction patterns (DPs) of 24–32 mol% yttria completely stabilized zirconia (YCSZ). DPs corresponding to the microdomains of Y4Zr3O12 compound described as an hexagonal structure in a cubic fluorite matrix have been simulated, paying special attention to the relationship between the cubic and the hexagonal structures. The comparison between experimental and simulated electron DPs has been used to test the proposed model of microdomains of δ-phase forming in the cubic fluorite matrix as an explanation to the phenomenon of diffuse scattering.