Structure, phase composition and mechanical properties of composites based on ZrO2 and multi-walled carbon nanotubes
In this work, composites based on yttria-stabilized zirconia (3Y-TZP), with additives of 1, 5 and 10 wt. % multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were investigated. Samples were obtained by spark plasma sintering at a temperature of 1500 °C. It was found that MWCNTs retain their structure after high-temperature sintering, they are located along the grain boundaries of ZrO2, forming a network structure. Found that the addition of 1 wt. % MWCNTs increase the relative density of the composite from 98.3 % to 99.0 %. It is noted that nanotubes can significantly affect the phase composition of composites. Additive 5 wt. % MWCNT partially limits the monoclinic-tetragonal phase transition of ZrO2, and the addition of 10 wt. % MWCNTs leads to the formation of a cubic phase of zirconium carbide. It was found that the fracture toughness of the composite with 10 wt. % MWCNTs increases from 4.0 to 5.7 MPa·m1/2.