Intergranular amorphous films formed by DC electric field in pure zirconia

It is difficult to obtain pure ZrO2 sintered compacts with a bulk style at room temperature because a large volumetric expansion from tetragonal to monoclinic phase (t/m) transformation occurs at around 1000°C, which is lower than the sintering temperature. In contrast, pure monoclinic ZrO2 can be consolidated without shattering using flash‐sintering at 1350°C for 5 minutes under an applied DC electric field of 175 V/cm. High‐resolution transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy have revealed that amorphous films are formed along grain boundaries after flash‐sintering at 1350°C for 5 minutes. Monoclinic ZrO2 flash‐sintered compact including the amorphous films are able to survive without shattering through the t/m transformation, as the amorphous films partially absorb the large volumetric expansion arising from the t/m transformation. The formation of the amorphous films results from the severe reducing condition due to the applied DC electric fields during flash‐sintering.