Transparency of zirconia and magnesium aluminate spinel ceramics manufactured by SPS technique

Two kinds of the transparent ceramics have been investigated in this work: magnesium aluminate spinel MgAl₂O₄ and yttria-stabilized zirconia ZrO₂-3mol.% Y₂O₃ (YSZ). Optical and mechanical properties of transparent ceramics versus conditions of spark-plasma sintering (SPS) have been investigated. SPS modes have been studied at different heating duration, pressure force. Behavior of transparency, density, elasto-plastic properties in depend on the sintering modes has been studied. High transparency of MgAl₂O₄ ceramics (76 % in visible range) and high mechanical properties (fracture toughness of 2.4 MPa × m^1/2, microhardness of 18.52 GPa, Young´s modulus of 212 GPa) have been achieved by decreasing the sintering duration and optimization of the pressing force. YSZ ceramics sintered by SPS showed transparency of 15% in the visible range of spectra and 43% in the infrared range.