Master sintering curves of a nanoscale 3Y-TZP powder compacts

The sintering behavior of commercially available granulated ZrO2–3 mol% Y2O3 (3Y-TZP) powder compacts with an aggregate size of 75 nm was studied. The shrinkage response of the powder compacts during non-isothermal sintering was measured in a sensitive dilatometer at different heating rates. Densification and grain growth were also studied after isothermal firing in air according to different sintering cycles. The sintering and grain growth activation energy was estimated to be QS = 485 ± 12 kJ mol−1 and QG = 546 ± 23 kJ mol−1, respectively. Using the estimated Q-values, the master curves for sintering and grain growth were established and used for prediction of the densification and microstructural development under different thermal histories. A good agreement between the model predictions and experimental result was obtained.