The influence of ZrO2 on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al2TiO5 flexible ceramics

To obtain aluminum titanate (AT, Al 2 TiO 5 ) ceramics with excellent mechanical properties , the ZrO 2 was introduced into AT flexible ceramic to modify the microstructure of it. Results show that ZrO 2 can significantly improve the mechanical properties of AT flexible ceramics. When the addition of ZrO 2 is 8 wt% and 12 wt%, the optimal strain and strength increase by ~52% and ~ 46%, respectively. The statistical results show that ZrO 2 can not only refine the AT grains but also improve the aspect ratio, which leads to more events of grain pull-out and transgranular fracture . Since the generated ZrTiO 4 is pinned in the AT grain boundary microcracks , the phenomenon of branching and deflection of main crack will increase, rising the resistance of main crack propagation . It is expectable that the discovery of this work is benefitted to solve the brittle limitation of ceramics.