Translucency and low-temperature degradation of silica-doped zirconia: A pilot study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the translucency and low-temperature degradation of silica-doped experimental Y-TZP (Yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal) containing almost no alumina. The experimental Y-TZP samples were sintered at either 1, 450 or 1, 500°C. The samples of commercially available translucent Y-TZP and conventional Y-TZP were used as controls. The contrast ratio (CR) and translucency parameter (TP) were obtained to compare the translucencies. In addition, the specimens were also subjected to an accelerated aging test. The results showed that the experimental Y-TZP sintered at 1, 500°C and translucent Y-TZP exhibited almost the same level of translucency. During the accelerated aging test, the translucent Y-TZP underwent a substantial increase in monoclinic content, an index of degradation after the aging test. However, neither the experimental Y-TZP nor the conventional Y-TZP exhibited any appreciable change. It was concluded that the silica-doped Y-TZP will develop translucency and resistance to degradation when sintered at 1, 500°C.