The effect of small amounts (0.2 wt% and 0.5 wt%) of transition metal oxide (CuO) doping on the sintering behavior of 3 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia (Y-TZP) was investigated over the temperature range of 1250 ^oC to 1500 ^oC. Sintered samples were characterized to determine the phase present, relative density, microstructural evolution and Vickers hardness. The studies revealed that the addition of 0.2 wt% CuO dopant was most effective in enhancing the densification of the Y-TZP in particularly at low temperatures below 1350 ^oC. The phase analysis revealed that the tetragonal phase was disrupted as evident from the high monoclinic phase formation in the 0.5 wt% CuO-doped zirconia. This phenomenon was associated with mechanism involving transient liquid phase which believed to have destabilized the tetragonal structure. Nevertheless, the study revealed that compared to the undoped Y-TZP, the sample with addition of 0.2 wt% CuO resulted in enhanced hardness and finer grain sizes when sintered at relatively low temperatures.

Keywords: Y-TZP, Copper oxide, Doping, Sintering additives, Vickers hardness