CORROSION OF YTTRIA-FULLY STABILIZED ZIRCONIAS IN MOLTEN FLUORIDES

Yttria-fully stabilized zirconia ceramics were manufactured from home-made and commercially available powders and were sintered under different conditions. The ceramics were immersed in the corrosive environment of molten LiF, NaF, KF (FLINAK) eutectic for up to 360 h from 700-900 degrees C. The changes caused in the crystal structure were probed with laser Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The degree of corrosion (phase transformation) depends on immersion period, FLINAK temperature, and ceramics microstructure. From the tested ceramics, ZrO2-8 mol% Y2O3 with a grain size larger than 8 mu m and having zero open porosity, exhibits the best resistance to the. corrosive influence of FLINAK.