Sesquioxides such as Y_(2)O_(3)and Sc_(2)O_(3)are important optical materials,but the fabrication of their transparent ceramics remains a challenge due to the ultra-high melting point of over 2400℃.In this work,a ser...Sesquioxides such as Y_(2)O_(3)and Sc_(2)O_(3)are important optical materials,but the fabrication of their transparent ceramics remains a challenge due to the ultra-high melting point of over 2400℃.In this work,a series of(Y_(1−x)Scx)_(2)O_(3)transparent ceramics were successfully fabricated by a simple vacuum sintering process without any sintering additives,and the effect of scandium(Sc)content(x)on the crystal structure and optical/thermal/mechanical properties was evaluated.Y_(2)O_(3)and Sc_(2)O_(3)form a complete solid solution with a cubic bixbyite structure.The formation of(Y_(1−x)Scx)_(2)O_(3)solid solution promotes the densification of ceramics,leading to the realization of high transparency close to the theoretical transmittance over a wide wavelength range of 0.35–8μm.In particular,the in-line transmittance in the range of 0.6–6μm remains above 80%for(Y_(1−x)Scx)_(2)O_(3)with x=0.23–0.31,while the pristine Y_(2)O_(3)and Sc_(2)O_(3)are opaque.Moreover,the mechanical properties including Vickers hardness(HV),fracture toughness(KIC),and biaxial flexural strength(δb)are evidently enhanced due to the solid solution strengthening,while the thermal conductivity(k)is reduced due to the reduction of photon free path.This study demonstrates that forming of solid solution is a facile and universal approach for preparing sesquioxide transparent ceramics with high optical and mechanical quality.展开更多
基金This research was supported by Fujian Science&Technology Innovation Laboratory for Optoelectronic Information of China(2021ZZ113)Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDA22010301)。
文摘Sesquioxides such as Y_(2)O_(3)and Sc_(2)O_(3)are important optical materials,but the fabrication of their transparent ceramics remains a challenge due to the ultra-high melting point of over 2400℃.In this work,a series of(Y_(1−x)Scx)_(2)O_(3)transparent ceramics were successfully fabricated by a simple vacuum sintering process without any sintering additives,and the effect of scandium(Sc)content(x)on the crystal structure and optical/thermal/mechanical properties was evaluated.Y_(2)O_(3)and Sc_(2)O_(3)form a complete solid solution with a cubic bixbyite structure.The formation of(Y_(1−x)Scx)_(2)O_(3)solid solution promotes the densification of ceramics,leading to the realization of high transparency close to the theoretical transmittance over a wide wavelength range of 0.35–8μm.In particular,the in-line transmittance in the range of 0.6–6μm remains above 80%for(Y_(1−x)Scx)_(2)O_(3)with x=0.23–0.31,while the pristine Y_(2)O_(3)and Sc_(2)O_(3)are opaque.Moreover,the mechanical properties including Vickers hardness(HV),fracture toughness(KIC),and biaxial flexural strength(δb)are evidently enhanced due to the solid solution strengthening,while the thermal conductivity(k)is reduced due to the reduction of photon free path.This study demonstrates that forming of solid solution is a facile and universal approach for preparing sesquioxide transparent ceramics with high optical and mechanical quality.
