Effect of heat treatment on structure and properties of MgO-PSZ electrolyte
Abstract The properties of MgO partially stabilized zirconia (MgO-PSZ) can be greatly improved by heat treatment. In this work the effects of heat treatment on the electrical conductivity and thermal shock resistance of MgO-PSZ were investigated. The changes of microstructure of MgO-PSZ treated with different temperature profiles were studied by using transmission electron microscopy. It was found by dilatometric technique that the phase transformation from monoclinic to tetragonal takes place at two temperature ranges. For large monoclinic grains the phase transformation temperature is around 1170°C. However, for small monoclinic grains, generated by heat treatment, the transformation occurs in the temperature range 550–800°C. The thermal shock resistance can be greatly improved by means of ageing at 1400°C for two hours or at 1100°C for six hours.