The Effects of Spark-Plasma Sintering (SPS) on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of BaTiO(3)/3Y-TZP Composites

Composite ceramics BaTiO(3)/3Y-TZP containing 0 mol %, 3 mol %, 5 mol %, 7 mol %, and 10 mol % BaTiO(3) have been prepared by conventional sintering and spark-plasma sintering (SPS), respectively. Analysis of the XRD patterns and Raman spectra reveal that the phase composition of t-ZrO(2), m-ZrO(2), and BaTiO(3) has been obtained. Our results indicate that SPS can be effective for the decrease in grain size and porosity compared with conventional sintering, which results in a lower concentration of m-ZrO(2) and residual stress. Therefore, the fracture toughness is enhanced by the BaTiO(3) phase through the SPS technique, while the behavior was impaired by the piezoelectric second phase through conventional sintering.