Phase stability of zirconia

The monoclinic to tetragonal phase transformation is likely martensitic in nature. This transformation has generated great interest among scientists, technologists, and users because it contributes to the toughening of ceramics. In stress-induced phase transformation, metastable tetragonal can transform spontaneously into monoclinic zirconia. These types of stabilization (thermodynamic and kinetic) often occur interchangeably in zirconia or in zirconia-related systems and are difficult to distinguish from each other, both in theory and in experiment.