Tantalum zinc oxide (TZO) with the chemical formula Ta2Zn3O8 can be generated from the reaction of 3 mol ZnO and 1 mol Ta2O5 at elevated temperatures. This phase has been shown to exhibit blue cathodoluminescence at low electron beam voltages. It has also been realized in thin film form on silicon substrate, making TZO an important material for monolithic field emission display devices. The structure type of TZO has been investigated using powder x-ray diffraction techniques. The unit cell of this phase has been determined and found to be monoclinic. These results allow for indexing of the powder pattern first reported by Kasper in 1967 and correct for a discrepancy in the single-crystal structure lattice constants reported by Waburg and Muller-Buschbaum in 1984.
The variation of the fracture toughness of MnZn ferrite ceramics with varying loading rate and humidity was determined with the aid of the single edge notched beam (SENB) test. A strong decrease with increasing humidity and decreasing loading rate was observed. A model for subcritical crack growth incorporating kinetic and adsorption effects was formulated to analyze the data. The value of the adsorptioncontrolled fracture toughness was determined independently by double torsion experiments and agreed favorably with the values as determined from the SENB data using the model. The strength of the material was determined, and analysis showed a strength behavior similar to the fracture toughness behavior, as predicted by the model. The analysis presented can be used to assess the subcritical crack growth behavior using a limited number of SENB specimens.