Adhesion at metal-ZrO2 interfaces

Most applications use stabilized ZrO2 phases doped with aliovalent oxides, where the electronic and structural properties of the ideal ZrO2 lattice are significantly altered due to the combined presence of O vacancies and substitutional dopant cations. The existence of such defects has a significant impact on the metal adhesion, as evidenced both in the experiments and calculations. Additionally, the spontaneous structural transformation of zirconia in the presence of oxygen vacancies can occur, and its role in the interface interactions is explored.