Effect of Sintering on Defects in Yttria Stabilised Zirconia

A variable energy slow positron beam was utilised to investigate depth dependent effects of sintering on the tetragonal yttria stabilised zirconia nanopowders. Positron implantation was combined with the determination of Doppler broadened profiles of annihilation radiation. The results are consistent with recent positron lifetime data showing that sintering at elevated temperatures leads to a disappearance of pores and a significant grain growth, which is demonstrated by a strong suppression of positronium formation and a substantial decrease in concentration of open volume defects at triple points, respectively, with increasing sintering temperature. An existence of a subsurface layer of a relatively high content of defects was shown in sintered samples and tentatively attributed to arise from a diffusion of open volume defects from the sample interior toward the surface or from a sintering-induced surface modification.