• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.284-288
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• 2004

To improve mechanical properties of $Al_2$O$_3$/ZrO$_2$composites have been controlled dispersion of ultra low size ZrO$_2$ particles in $Al_2$O$_3$ ceramics by polymeric precursor method (Pechini process). In case of coprecipitation or mechanical mixing of ZrO$_2$ powders with $Al_2$O$_3$, homogeneous dispersion and controlling the ZrO$_2$ size were relatively difficult due to high sintering temperature. So the polyesterization process of Zr/Y(NO$_3$)$_3$-citric acid solution in ethylene glycol with the commercial sub-micron sized o(-alumina powder (Sumitomo AES-11(0.4 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$)) was adopted in order to obtain homogeneous dispersion of ZrO$_2$ in A1203. By this partial polyesterization process, the homogeneous dispersion of relatively low sized ZrO$_2$in $Al_2$O$_3$/ZrO$_2$composites was achieved at 1450∼1$600^{\circ}C$ of sintering temperature range and their mechanical properties were measured.