Transformation-induced plasticity in zirconia-based ceramics: micro-Laue diffraction from compressed micropillars

Ce-stabilized zirconia (CSTZ) presents very interesting opportunities as a ductile ceramic that does not suffer from low-temperature degradation. It is known that this ductility arises because of martensitic transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) but the microscopic mechanisms at the origin of the onset of the transformation and the influence of different factors such as stress magnitude, crystal orientation are still unknown. In this experiment we want to spatially-resolve strain, crystal orientation and phase, and dislocation nature using micro-Laue diffraction on CSTZ micropillars which have been compressed at different levels of plastic strain. The results of such an experiment will be very valuable for the understanding of TRIP in CSTZ.