Ultra–fast plastic forming of zirconia ceramics under a low temperature and high electric field

The low–temperature plastic forming ability of ceramics with complex structures is unsatisfied due to the strong covalent and ionic bonds, restricting their widespread applications. Herein, a technique is proposed for the ultra–fast plastic forming of zirconia ceramics using a low temperature and high electric field. The high electric field–assisted plastic forming temperature and rate are 1000 °C and 10 mm/min, respectively, which are much lower and faster than those of conventional plastic forming methods for ceramics. The deformed “Ω”–shape zirconia part exhibits a uniform microstructure without microcracks/cavities and a high hardness, demonstrating that the high electric field–assisted plastic forming technique enables the rapid fabrication of complex ceramic components with beneficial properties at low temperatures.