Synthesis of dense nanocrystalline ZrO2-MgAl2O4 spinel composite

A nanocrystalline ZrO2-spinel composite with an average grain size of smaller than 100 nm can be synthesized by high-energy ball-milling followed by spark plasma sintering. Nanocrystallization can strengthen the ZrO2-spinel composite by a factor of 2.0-2.5; the maximum flexural strength of the nanocrystalline composite reached ≈2200 MPa.