Position–sensitive electric property of flash–sintered 3Y–TZP ceramics based on DC bias assisted impedance analysis

In this study, impedance spectroscopy with direct current (DC) bias was used to analyze the electric property and oxygen vacancies of flash–sintered 3 mol% Y2O3 doped tetragonal zirconia polycrystalline (3Y–TZP) ceramics at anode, middle, cathode and no field vicinity, respectively. The electric property was obtained using modified–Debye circuit model and the oxygen vacancies concentration was calculated using double Schottky barrier model. Interestingly, a phenomenon of position–sensitive electric property and oxygen vacancies concentration was observed. It means after flashing the tested samples become ununiform electrically at anode, middle and cathode vicinity. The neutral oxygen vacancies generated at cathode vicinity are responsible for this unique phenomenon fundamentally. The finding here is useful to explore the mechanism of flash sintering and tune the electric property of ZrO2 ceramics electrolyte.