Tetragonal-monoclinic transformations of zirconia studied by small angle neutron scattering and differential thermal analysis

摘要

The tetragonal-monoclinic transformations of zirconia have been studied on pristine single crystals and on their cycled crystallites. Two complementary techniques have been used. Small angle neutron scattering experiments were carried out to monitor the degree of completion of a transformation under equilibrium conditions for collections of 20--30 large crystals using the total internal and external surface area as an indicator. Differential thermal analysis experiments were carried out on smaller single-domain crystals of different sizes individually during heating and cooling to measure the rates of latent heat absorption and emission. The investigation establishes the upper limit of stability of the monoclinic phase, the lower limit of stability of the tetragonal phase, and the coexistence temperature between the two phases. The characteristics of the transformations are also inferred from these experiments.