Fabrication and characterization of porous ZrO2 with a high volume fraction of fine closed pores

A novel technique for the fabrication of porous ZrO2 with a high volume fraction of fine closed pores was investigated. A partially stabilized ZrO2 (3 mol% Y2O3; Y-PSZ) body, with a 97–99% relative density and containing a small amount of impurities, exhibited a large volume expansion related to the formation of closed pores after heating at 1700 °C for 10 min in N2. These closed pores seemed to mainly form due to the vaporization of hydroxyl apatite: Ca10(OH)2(PO4)6 as an impurity and superplasticity of the ZrO2 during heating. Porous ZrO2 with approximately 24.6% closed pores (total porosity: 26.7%) was successfully fabricated by the addition of 1 mass% SiO2, 1 mass% TiO2, and 1 mass% hydroxyl apatite. The closed pore size and morphology of the resultant porous ZrO2 bodies were investigated, and the formation mechanism of the closed pores was examined on the basis of chemical thermodynamics.