Densification and microstructural correlation with thermo-mechanical strength of TiO2-doped (Al1-xCrx)2O3 (x=0.1, 0.3) solid solution ceramics

In this work, TiO2-doped (Al1-xCrx)2O3 (x = 0.1, 0.3) ceramics were prepared in the range of 1600 °C–1700 °C under a slightly reducing atmosphere. The lattice parameter calculations only showed a minor increment with TiO2 doping, implying a meager solid-solubility limit (also detected by EDS semi-quantification). The grain size of (Al1-xCrx)2O3 is directly proportional to the TiO2 amount and sintering temperature. Beyond the TiO2 solid solubility limit, exaggerated grain growth and excessive pore formation were observed at higher sintering temperatures. The highest flexural strengths were observed without TiO2 at a higher sintering temperature and with 1 wt% TiO2 at lower sintering temperatures. However, higher TiO2 inclusion has deleterious effects on flexural strengths, as the failure occurs via a combined effect of porosity and larger grains.