Fabrication of hydrothermal ageing resistant of 3 mol % yttria‐stabilised tetragonal zirconia polycrystalline via microwave sintering

The influence of microwave sintering on the densification, mechanical performances, microstructure evolution and hydrothermal ageing behaviour of pure 3 mol % yttria‐stabilised tetragonal zirconia polycrystalline (3Y‐TZP) ceramics was compared with conventional sintered samples. Green bodies were sintered via conventional pressure‐less and microwave sintering method between 1200 °C to 1400 °C with dwelling time and firing rate at 120 min, 10 °C/min and 1 min, 20 °C/min. Result showed that reduced processing temperature and holding time is possible with microwave sintering technique for fabricating good resistant zirconia sample with bulk density, Young's modulus, and Vicker's hardness that are comparable to samples sintered with conventional method. However, the microwave sintered samples suffered from hydrothermal ageing where their average grain size is above critical size. The enhancement of hydrothermal ageing resistance of the sintered samples is associated with the decreasing grain size of the sintered samples instead of sintering method.