[EN] Aim of the present study is to sinter zirconia nanocomposite powders doped with ceria and toughened with alumina (10Ce-TZP/Al2O3) by non-conventional means, i.e. microwave sintering technology. The sintering effects of various microwave applicators and frequency generators were evaluated using an optimised experimental set-up. The microwave-sintered samples were compared with the composites sintered by the conventional method. The mechanical properties of the ceramic composites were evaluated by their hardness, fracture toughness and Young's modulus. Likewise, their density and microstructure were analysed.

The authors thank the Generalitat Valenciana for the financial support provided to the PROMETEU/2016/040 project. A. Borrell is grateful to the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness for her RyC contract (RYC-2016-20915).