Microstructure of rapidly‐quenched ZrO2‐SiO2 glass‐ceramics fabricated by container‐less aerodynamic levitation technology

In this work, an aerodynamic levitation technology (ALT) was utilized to prepare ZrO2‐SiO2 glass‐ceramics with two different ZrO2 contents, that is, 35 mol% and 50 mol%. The glass‐ceramics were partially melted at ∼2000°C or fully melted at ∼3000°C by ALT, followed by rapid quenching to obtain spherical glass‐ceramic beads. The phase compositions and microstructures of the glass‐ceramics were characterized. Crystallization of ZrO2 occurred during the solidification process and ZrO2 content, processing temperature, and the addition of yttrium (3 mol%) affected the crystalline phase of ZrO2. No ZrSiO4 or crystalline SiO2 were formed during the solidification process and the glass‐ceramics were away from thermodynamic equilibrium due to rapid quenching. The glass‐ceramics showed a microstructure of irregular‐shaped ZrO2 micro‐aggregates embedded in an amorphous SiO2 matrix, with lamellar twins and lattice defects formed within ZrO2 crystals. For samples prepared at ∼3000°C, a liquid‐liquid phase separation occurred in the melt, which eventually resulted in the formation of large and irregular‐shaped ZrO2 aggregates. In comparison, for samples prepared at ∼2000°C, pre‐existed ZrO2 crystals formed during heating acted as nucleation sites during the cooling process, followed by grain growth to form large ZrO2 aggregates. Solidification and microstructure formation mechanisms were proposed to elucidate the solidification process during rapid cooling and the microstructure of the glass‐ceramics obtained.