Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 January 2011
Nanocrystalline yttria-stabilized zirconia (nc-Y-TZP) powders coated with 10 vol% sodium strontium silicate glass were prepared by the sol-gel method. The glass is found to uniformly coat the zirconia particles or particle aggregates. The presence of the glass was found to enhance the densification of the powder compacts leading to 97% of the theoretical density compared to 90% in the pure nc-Y-TZP. It also resulted in a fine microstructure, homogeneous particle shape, and narrow size distribution. The polyhedral-shaped faceted grains in the sintered pure Y-TZP were converted to round-shaped grains in the glass containing specimens