Micro-raman studies on materials based on zirconium dioxide

Micro-Raman studies have been made on zirconium dioxide ceramics and crystals by the use of argon and helium-neon lasers. The Raman results for the crystals are appreciably affected by the wavelength, which is due to a luminescence spectrum more intense than the background (this is not usually characteristic of zirconium dioxide ceramics). When a crystal is indented, the monoclinic phase is detected only near the edges of the indent, so that process cannot be the cause of the rise in the surface around the indent. It is concluded that the crystals differ from the ceramics in that the monoclinic-tetragonal transition is not the mechanism that governs the mechanical behavior.