Effect of sintering temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties of ZrO2–3mol% Y2O3 sol-gel thin films

Abstract

The microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of ZrO2-3 mol%Y2O3 films were investigated as a function of the sintering mperature in the range from 100 8C to 1500 8C, using a battery of characterization techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning ctron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and nanoindentation. It was found that the crystallization occurs at temperatures ose to 300 8C. A gradual increase in the grain and crystallite sizes is observed as the sintering temperature increases up to 1000 8C, and above this tering temperature the tendency changes abruptly with a rapid increase in these values. Although Young’s modulus of the coatings did not ange with sintering temperature, a slight decrease was observed in the hardness values above 1000 8C which is attributed to microstructure arsening. Finally, a slight degradation of the films occurs above 1300 8C, which is due to the occurrence of a process of grain spheroidization.