3Y-TZP (3 mol% yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystals) ceramics have excellent mechanical properties including high fracture toughness, good abrasion resistance as well as chemical and biological stability. As a result, they are widely used in mechanical and medical components such as bearings, grinding balls, and hip implants. In addition, they provide excellent light transmittance, biocompatibility, and can match tooth color when used as a dental implant. Recently, given the materials’ resemblance to human teeth, these ceramics have emerged as an alternative to titanium implants. Since the introduction of CAD/CAM in the manufacture of ceramic implants, they’ve been increasingly used for prosthetic restoration where aesthetics and strength are required. In this study, to improve the surface roughness of zirconia implants, we modified the 3YTZP surface with a biocomposite of hydroxyapatite and forsterite using room temperature spray coating methods, and investigated the mixed effect of the two powders on the evolution of surface microstructure, i.e., coating thickness and roughness, and biological interaction during the in vitro test in SBF solution. We compared improvement in bioactivity by observing dissolution and re-precipitation on the specimen surface. From the results of in vitro testing in SBF solution, we confirmed improvement in the bioactivity of the 3Y-TZP substrate after surface modification with a biocomposite of hydroxyapatite and forsterite. Surface dissolution of the coating layer and the precipitation of new hydroxyapatite particles was observed on the modified surface, indicating the improvement in bioactivity of the zirconia substrate.

3Y-TZP ceramics obtained by doping 3 mol.% of Y2O3 to ZrO2 to stabilize the phase transition are widely used in the engineering ceramic industry due to their excellent mechanical properties such as high strength, fracture toughness, and wear resistance. An additional increase in mechanical properties is possible by manufacturing a composite in which a high-hardness material such as oxide or carbide is added to the 3Y-TZP matrix. In this study, composite powder was prepared by dispersing a designated percentage of WC in the 3Y-TZP matrix, and the results were compared after manufacturing the composite using the different processes of spark plasma sintering and HP. The difference between the densification behavior and porosity with the process mechanism was investigated. The correlation between the process conditions and phase formation was examined based on the crystalline phase formation behavior. Changes to the microstructure according to the process conditions were compared using field-emission scanning electron microscopy. The toughness-strengthening mechanism of the composite with densification and phase formation was also investigated.

Zircon, having excellent thermal, chemical, and mechanical properties, is utilized in refractory materials, electronic materials, chemical machines, structural materials, etc. However, zircon generally shows thermal dissociation to zirconia(ZrO2) and silica(SiO2) around the sintering temperature of 1540 oC, and when zircon particles are small and impurities are present, thermal dissociation is known to occur at around 1100 oC. This reduces the mechanical properties of ZrSiO4. In this research, the effect of adding SiO2 and 3Y-TZP to ZrSiO4 has been studied in order to suppress dissociation and improve the mechanical properties. Addition of SiO2 suppressed the dissociation of ZrSiO4 at lower temperatures. It also enabled optimum packing between the particles, resulting in a dense microstructure and good mechanical properties. When 3Y-TZP was added, recombination with the dissociated SiO2 resulted in good mechanical properties by suppressing the generation of pores and the densification of the microstructure.

In this study, 3 mol% yttria-tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (3Y-TZP) nanoparticles were synthesized by the glycothermal method under various reaction temperatures and times. The co-precipitated precursor of 3Y-TZP was prepared by adding NH4OH to starting solutions, and then the mixtures were placed in an autoclave reactor. Tetragonal yttria-doped zirconia nanoparticles were afforded through a glycothermal reaction at a temperature as low as 220˚C, using co-precipitated gels of ZrCl4 and YCl3·6H2O as precursors and 1,4-butanediol as the solvent. The synthesized 3Y-TZP particles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Raman spectroscopy. The 3Y-TZP particles have a stable tetragonal phase only at glycothermal temperatures above 200˚C. To investigate phase transition, the 3Y-TZP particles were heat treated from 400 to 1400˚C for 2 h. Raman analysis indicated that, after heat treatment, the tetragonal phase of the 3Y-TZP particles remained stable. The results of this study, therefore, suggest that 3Y-TZP powders can be prepared by the glycothermal method.