The influence of ZrO2 on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al2TiO5 flexible ceramics

To obtain aluminum titanate (AT, Al2TiO5) ceramics with excellent mechanical properties, the ZrO2 was introduced into AT flexible ceramic to modify the microstructure of it. Results show that ZrO2 can significantly improve the mechanical properties of AT flexible ceramics. When the addition of ZrO2 is 8 wt% and 12 wt%, the optimal strain and strength increase by similar to 52% and similar to 46%, respectively. The statistical results show that ZrO2 can not only refine the AT grains but also improve the aspect ratio, which leads to more events of grain pull-out and transgranular fracture. Since the generated ZrTiO4 is pinned in the AT grain boundary microcracks, the phenomenon of branching and deflection of main crack will increase, rising the resistance of main crack propagation. It is expectable that the discovery of this work is benefitted to solve the brittle limitation of ceramics.