Preparation of yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia ceramics for optical ferrule

Yttria-stabilized zirconia ceramics are considered to be one of the most important ceramic materials for use in structural applications, because of the high strength and toughness of yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystals. In this work, in order to prepare dense and compact yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia body after sintering at 1400degreesC, we used various raw materials with different particle properties, such as crystallinity, particle size distribution, and particle shape. Crystallinity and tetragonal percentage of the sintered samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction. Microstructure of the sintered samples was evaluated by field emission-scanning electron microscopy.