Spark plasma sintering of a commercially available granulated zirconia powder—II. Microstructure after sintering and ionic conductivity

The microstructure of TZ3Y zirconia samples sintered by spark plasma sintering was investigated using transmission electron microscopy. The results of these observations were used to confirm the mechanisms involved in the control of densification. For the second time, the ionic conductivity of some samples obtained by SPS was investigated as a function of temperature. The results were compared with the best results found in the literature and discussed.