Critical evaluations on the crystallographic properties of translucent dental zirconia ceramics stabilized with 3-6 mol% yttria
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Updated: Jun 22, 2025
High Temperature Fabrication of Nanostructured Yttria-Stabilized-Zirconia YSZ Scaffolds by In Situ Carbon Templating Xerogels
Published on: April 16, 2017
Keisuke Nakamura1, Shunichi Shishido2, Ryoichi Inagaki2
1Department of Advanced Free Radical Science, Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry, 4-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980 8575, Japan; Department of Cariology, Institute of Odontology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden.
Objectives:
This study aimed to determine the crystalline phase composition of 3-6 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia (3-6YSZ), specifically investigating the presence of tetragonal (t), cubic (c), and/or additional yttria-rich tetragonal (t') phase.
Methods:
Laboratory-fabricated specimens comprising 3-5YSZ, resembling translucent dental zirconia ceramics (TZ specimens), and a blend of 3YSZ and 8YSZ, representing a c-phase reference, were prepared. Additionally, 25 dental zirconia products stabilized with 3-6 mol% yttria were analyzed. Whole X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns were obtained for Rietveld analysis, complemented by fine scanning in the 2θ region from 72º to 76º for qualitative phase analysis. Moreover, yttria concentrations in each specimen were determined using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy.
Results:
In the 2θ region from 72º to 76º, TZ and dental zirconia product specimens displayed four peaks attributed to t- and t'-phases, but the c-phase peak was absent. Rietveld analysis of the whole XRD patterns, utilizing a t-t' model, demonstrated the t-phase fraction ranging from 86 mass% in 3YSZ to 11 mass% in 6YSZ. Rietveld analysis appeared reliable, as the yttria contents calculated based on lattice parameters aligned well with those measured by XRF. This study established that dental 3-6YSZ consisted of yttria-lean t- and yttria-rich t'-phases.
Significance:
The present study enhances understanding of the crystalline structure of dental zirconia ceramics. Future crystallographic analyses of these ceramics should consider the presence of t- and t'-phases.
