Owing to the high cost of pure zirconia, compared to fine ceramics like alumina (Al2O3), ZrO2 ceramics are typically formed with additional components. Alongside material cost reductions, these additives or stabilizers can provide additional functionality benefits. High purity (90.0%) oxide-bonded zirconia solutions are available in the pressed, cast, or blended conditions for applications requiring the highest standard of thermal shock resistance available.
Zirconia refractories have a very high strength at room temperature which is maintained up to temperatures as high as 1,500°C. They are, therefore, useful as high temperature construction materials for furnaces and kilns.
Markets requiring higher corrosion resistance or greater hot mechanical strength typically use a system of zirconia with alumina or chromium oxide (Cr2O3), or a complex combination of all three. The compositional ratios of these compounds can be finely tuned to provide a material with the best-trade-off between mechanical and corrosion resistance for specific applications.
