Preparation of yttria-stabilized zirconia fibers from a zirconia sol and their properties

Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) fibers various widths ranging from 36 to 66 mu m of width were prepared by a drying process at 363 K from a zirconia sol containing 4 mol % yttria with 40 nm of primary particle size. The effects of preparation method on the crystal phase, microstructure and electrical properties of the obtained YSZ fibers were investigated. The obtained fibers were heat-treated at 1473 K for 1 h. The grain size and relative density of the fiber were 126 nm and 97%, respectively. The oxygen ion conductivity of the fiber showed heat-treated at 1473 K is 0.18 S/cm at 1273 K, which is the same as 8 YSZ bulk ceramics. (C) 2012 The Ceramic Society of Japan. All rights reserved.