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Optical ceramics based on cubic refractory oxides via vacuum sintering

Tatyana G. Deineka Myron B. Kosmyna Boris Nazarenko Viacheslav M. Puzikov Zoya P. Sergienko Alexey N. Shekhovtsov Alexander V. Tolmachev Elena A. Vovk Oleg M. Vovk Roman P. Yavetskiy 1

1. Institute for Single Crystals NAS of Ukraine (ISC), 60 Lenin Ave., Kharkov 61001, Ukraine

Abstract

Nowadays optical ceramics based on cubic materials is considered as a new class of laser or scintillation hosts. It possess excellent optical properties, improved functional characteristics and better mechanical properties compared to single crystals with the same compositions. Utilization of nanopowders as starting materials allows one to obtain ceramics with full density at relatively low temperatures. Many techniques have been adapted to consolidate highly sinterable nanopowders in a bulk medium, including hot pressing, solid state reaction method, and high-pressure low temperature sintering. We report some recent results on consolidation of Lu2O3 and Y3Al5O12 nanopowders to form transparent ceramics by vacuum sintering.
Lu2O3 and Y3Al5O12 nanopowders with suitable particle size and morphology have been obtained by co-precipitation method. The phase evolution of precursors depending on calcination temperature has been studied using DTA and XPA methods. The morphology of calcinated powders has been studied using TEM. The optimal calcination temperature of precursors to obtain well dispersed powders with average size of 40-60 nm was determined to be T=1100 °С. The sintering ability of Lu2O3 and Y3Al5O12 nanopowders depending on the obtaining conditions has been studied using constant rate of heating sintering.
Compaction of nanopowders has been carried out using cold isostatical or uniaxial pressure at P=200-400 MPa. Vacuum sintering was performed using vacuum furnace at T=1750-1850 °С for 10 hours. It has been shown that sintered transparent ceramics based on Lu2O3 or Y3Al5O12 possess near pore-free structure, vacuum density, grain size up to 50 mkm and linear transmission coefficient up to 60 % for the 1 mm thick specimen. Main luminescent properties of rare earth doped Lu2O3, Y3Al5O12 ceramics for scintillation applications have been determined. The ways to improve the optical transmission of obtained transparent ceramics will also be discussed.

 

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Presentation: Poster at E-MRS Fall Meeting 2008, Symposium I, by Roman P. Yavetskiy
See On-line Journal of E-MRS Fall Meeting 2008

Submitted: 2008-05-16 14:01
Revised:   2009-06-07 00:48