OBJECTIVETo prepare zirconia toughened nano-composite alumina ceramic powder for dental application. Physical and chemical property of the prepared material were tested, and the effect of development technology on composite powder was also studied in this study.

METHODSNano-composite alumina powder was prepared by surface-induced precipitation method. The effect of pH value and dispersing agent content on volume of alumina suspension sediment was recorded. The effect of ultrasonic time on agglomeration was measured also. X ray diffraction (XRD) was used to analyze powder phase before and after the stabilizer was added. Scanning electronic microscope (SEM) was applied for characterizing the specimen.

RESULTSThe dispersion was better at pH=9 and wt (dispersing agent) = 0.2% approximately 0.3%. Selecting proper ultrasonic time can decrease the agglomeration of powders and lower the average particle size. XRD analysis indicated that the phase composition of the prepared nano-composite ceramic powder was shown as alpha-Al2O3, t-ZrO2 and a small amount of m-ZrO2 after the addition of stabilizer. Through SEM observation, nanometer-sized ZrO2 particles (80 approximately 100 nm) were uniformly located on the surface of submicrometer alumina grains.

CONCLUSIONSBy choosing appropriate preparation method, weakly agglomerated powders with fine particle size can be obtained. The zirconia part of nano-composite powder was transmitted to partially stabled zirconia after the use of stabilizer.