Synthesis and characterization of partially and fully stabilized zirconia fibers made from an inorganic precursor

Continuous high-quality fibers of yttria-doped zirconia with 4 and 8 mol% yttria were blow spun using an inorganic sol precursor. The fibers were heated and analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, differential thermal/thermogravimetric analysis, and surface area/porosity by nitrogen adsorption. The fibers were of a single-phase cubic structure after crystallization at 529 °C and typically 3.3–5.5 or 7.5–11.5 μm in diameter depending on the composition. Samples of fibers were heated to various temperatures and their friability index and creep properties analyzed using the bend stress relaxation technique and compared to other fibers of similar composition prepared by different solution techniques and commercially available fibers.