Creep strength of nickel oxide/zirconia composites under different environmental atmospheres

NiO/8YSZ (8 mol% Y2O3-stabilized cubic ZrO2) and NiO/3YTZP (3 mol% Y2O3-stabilized tetragonal ZrO2) composites with different NiO contents have been fabricated by a conventional route of mechanical mixing of NiO and zirconia powders and sintering at 1500 °C for 10 h in air. The resulting microstructures have been characterized by electron microscopy. The composites show a duplex microstructure formed by equiaxed grains of NiO and ZrO2, without any intermediate phase. Compressive mechanical tests at constant strain rate were carried out at temperatures between 1150 and 1350 °C under different environments: air, inert (Ar) and reducing (5% H2/95% Ar) atmospheres. The overall creep behavior of the composites is essentially controlled by the zirconia matrix, due to the softness of the NiO phase in the experimental conditions used in this study. The creep strength is not affected by oxygen partial pressure. However, a large decrease in creep resistance under reducing conditions was observed in samples submitted to in situ redox cycling.