Two-Stage Sintering of Nb₂O₅ Doped Zirconia Toughened Alumina (ZTA) Composites

Abstract:

It is estimated that 130 million people will suffer from osteoarthritis by 2050 which require patient to undergo a surgical procedure known as total hip replacement which has lifespan of 20 years and failure rates of ~1%. This research would highlight the effects of doping Niobium Oxide (Nb₂O₅) between 0 vol % to 0.8 vol % into Zirconia-Toughened Alumina (ZTA) composites which is the main biomaterials used to manufacture total hip arthroplasty. The samples were sintered using two-stage sintering (TSS) between 1400°C and 1550°C for first-stage sintering temperature at heating rate of 20°C/min. At second stage, the samples were sintered at 1350°C and hold for 12 hours. It was found that TSS combined with addition of Nb₂O₅ as dopants were beneficial in producing fine-grained ZTA composites with improved mechanical properties compared to undoped ZTA composites produced via TSS. Compared to undoped ZTA composites, samples doped with Nb₂O₅ and sintered at T₁ ≥1400°C were fully densed (>98%), achieved Vickers hardness more than 20 GPa and Young’s modulus higher than 410 GPa and at the same time fracture toughness of more than 8 MPam^1/2. Based on the findings, production of ZTA composites with enhanced mechanical properties with longer lifespan is possible which is beneficial in ensuring the well-being of osteoarthritis patients.

• Periodical: Key Engineering Materials (Volume 861)
• Pages: 327-333
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.861.327
• Online since: September 2020
• Authors: Teow Hsien Loong*, Se Yong Eh Noum, Wong Wai Mun
• Keywords: Mechanical Properties, Nb₂O₅, Two-Stage Sintering, Zirconia-Toughened Alumina, ZTA

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