Preparation of CePO_4-coated zirconia ceramics and their mechanical behavior

Tetragonal ZrO2-3 mol% Y2O3 （3Y-TZP） coated with CePO4 was synthesized by a co-precipitation method and the effects of CePO4 content and sintering temperature on its mechanical properties were investigated. The microstructure and phase composition of the products were characterized using scanning and transmission electron microscopy as well as X-ray diffraction, respectively. The machinability index of CePO4-coated zirconia was calculated to be 1.05 when the CePO4 content is 25 wt.%. The sample hardness, bending strength and fracture toughness are 7.08 GPa, 457.85 MPa and 9.75 MPa m1/2, respectively, when the sintering temperature is 1400°C. The results show that as-prepared CePO4-coated 3Y-TZP ceramics are highly suitable biomaterials for dental applications and are expected to be used in a com-puter-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing （CAD/CAM） system to make dental crowns or bridge prostheses in a one-step sinter-ing process.