Abstract:

Zirconia is widely used ceramic powders as a biomaterial in medical applications due to its similarity with tooth color, good mechanical and bioinert properties. Its high temperature forms can be fully or partially stabilized by the addition of oxides such as MgO, CaO and Y2O3. Recently, yttria stabilized zirconia has been mostly studied because of its lots of advantages. In this study, 3% mol and 8% mol yttria stabilized zirconia powders have been synthesized using a simple sol-gel process. ZrO(NO3)2.xH2O and Y(NO3)3.6H2O was dissolved in ethylene glycol and pure water, respectively and mixed together. After mixing pH was adjusted to 3.5 using HNO3. Final suspension was stirred until it becomes homogenized. Homogeneous mixture dried at 120°C and then sintered at 1200°C. Crystallite sizes and mineralogical composition were determined by XRD. Surface area was measured by BET method and particle size was calculated. Density of powders was measured by ultrapicnometer. Also, morphological structure was examined by SEM. Tetragonal ZrO2 and tetragonal ZrO2-Y2O3 phases were observed. Current studies showed that YSZ powder can be effectively synthesis with the present method.

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