Effect of the Zirconia Particle Size on the Compressive Strength of Reticulated Porous Zirconia-Toughened Alumina  
[PERSON]  
1 Ceramics Materials Division, Korea Institute of Materials Science, 797 Changwondaero, Seongsam-gu,  
Changwon 51508, Korea; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (C.-Y.L. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (S.L. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (J.L. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (L.-H.S.) [PERSON]  
1 Ceramics Materials Division, Korea Institute of Materials Science, 797 Changwondaero, Seongsam-gu,  
Changwon 51508, Korea; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (C.-Y.L. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (S.L. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (J.L. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (L.-H.S.) [PERSON]  
1 Ceramics Materials Division, Korea Institute of Materials Science, 797 Changwondaero, Seongsam-gu,  
Changwon 51508, Korea; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (C.-Y.L. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (S.L. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (J.L. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (J.L. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (L.-H.S.) [PERSON]  
1 Ceramics Materials Division, Korea Institute of Materials Science, 797 Changwondaero, Seongsam-gu,  
Changwon 51508, Korea; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (C.-Y.L. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (S.L. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (J.L. ); sih1654@kims. ceramics using the replica template method, the process parameters include (1) the viscosity of the ceramic slurry and (2) the pore density (PPI) of the sacrificial polymer template. Reticulated porous ceramics having various properties can be prepared by changing the viscosity characteristics of the ceramic slurry and controlling the pore density of the sacrificial polymer template. Optimizing the ceramic slurry can enhance the compressive strength of reticulated porous ceramics. An optimized slurry is a slurry having adequate fluidity and viscosity. Specifically, it can be used to coat the strut walls deep inside of the sacrificial polymer template uniformly. Zirconia-tughened alumina (ZTA) has a wide range of applications, and much experimental research has already been conducted. However, there are too few studies of reticulated porous ZTA. The mechanical properties of ZTA depend on the properties of the zirconia used, which are determined by the stabilizer content and type. In addition, ZTA properties are determined by the transformation ratio, alumina content, sintering temperature, and the interrelation between the density and the amount of tetragonal phase used [17; 18]. When it contains 2-3 mol% of yttria as a stabilizer to have a tetragonal phase of 100%, it is easy to sinter and can be made to transition to the monoclinic phase by external stress, which causes micro-cracks to absorb thermal shocks and increase toughness [19]. In addition, yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) containing 3-5 mol% of yttria has excellent strength compared to stabilized zirconia containing other oxides; the most stable yttria-stabilized zirconia is yttria-stabilized zirconia with 3 mol% of yttria added [20; 21]. Therefore, in this study, 3 mol% YSZ was used, and reticulated porous ZTA was prepared using the replica template method. Generally, there is a limited range of average particle sizes that can be controlled with several methods such as ball milling. Therefore, we initially attempted to determine which size range of the zirconia raw material would be appropriate for use in this study. If the compressive strength of reticulated porous ZTA specimens prepared from nano-sized zirconia particles is appropriate, it would be necessary to purchase nano-sized zirconia with different average particle sizes and use it, as it is well known that the effect of ball-milling is marginally effective when the average particle size range approaches the nano-size range [22]. However, there are several problems when using various nano-sized zirconia particles from different producers. The average particle size of zirconia, depending on the manufacturing method and the shape of the particles, can also differ, increasing the number of factors to consider. Otherwise, it becomes necessary to fabricate reticulated porous ZTA specimens prepared from various types of micro-sized zirconia particles, which are controlled by ball-milling.