Tensile Behavior of Tetragonal Zirconia Micro/Nano-Fibers and Beams In-Situ Tested in Push-to-Pull Devices

The tensile mechanical behaviour of tetragonal zirconia micro/nano-fibers and beams were studied with a push-to-pull (PTP) device equipped in an in-situ nanoindenter. Polycrystalline and oligocrystalline micro/nano-fibers exhibited some degree of plastic strain before fracture with the tensile strength ranging from ~0.9 GPa to 1.4 GPa. Single-crystal beams generally experienced linear elastic deformation with tensile strength of ~2.1-3.4 GPa. No martensitic transformation induced shape memory strain was detected in the zirconia fibers and beams. Further variation of dopant concentration and crystal orientation was explored for single-crystalline beams and their significance in controlling the tensile strength was assessed and discussed.