Raman study of the phase separation in ZrO2-12 mol% CeO2 ceramic

We present Raman spectra of the ZrO₂-12 mol% CeO₂ ceramic heat- treated at 1000°C, 1200 °C and 1420 °C in the flowing mixture gas of H₂+Ar. Raman spectra reveal the tetragonal to monoclinic phase transition and three Raman bands are observed at 279 cm^-1, 410 cm^-1 and 456 cm^-1 at temperatures above 1200 °C; it turned out that these Raman bands are assigned to neither of the monoclinic phase nor the tetragonal phase. It is suggested that the starting ceramic undergoes phase separation in the heat-treatments in the mixture gas of H₂+Ar; the phase separation probably takes place as a result of the valence change of Ce during the heat-treatments, which leads to destabilization of the original tetragonal phase.