Direct Evidence of Dopant-Enhanced Grain-Boundary Sliding in Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Bicrystals

Compression tests were conducted at 1400°C in air for undoped and Si‐doped yttria‐stabilized zirconia (YSZ) bicrystals with the same orientation relationship (Σ=5, [001]/{210} grain boundary). It was found that the macroscopic grain‐boundary slidings are observed during the deformation in both undoped and doped bicrystals, and the sliding displacements increase almost linearly with increasing total displacements. It is distinctly demonstrated that the Si‐doped bicrystal exhibits a sliding displacement that is a few times larger than the undoped bicrystal. In addition, the total strain of the Si‐doped bicrystal at a failure is much larger than that of the undoped bicrystal. It can be stated that Si doping in YSZ not only enhances the grain‐boundary sliding but also suppresses its failure.