Sintering of transparent Yb-doped Lu2O3 ceramics using nanopowder produced by laser ablation method

Transparent Yb-doped Lu2O3 ceramic samples were fabricated via conventional vacuum and spark plasma sintering. Nanoparticles synthesized by laser ablation method were used as starting material. The morphology and phase evolution of the nanopowder were studied by transmission electron microscopy, simultaneous thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction. The obtained nanoparticles exhibited the monoclinic phase and were fully converted into the main cubic phase after calcination at 1100 degrees C for 1 h. Conventional vacuum sintering of Yb:Lu2O3 powder compact at 1780 degrees C for 20 h resulted in a fully-dense ceramics with an average grain size of 1.6 mu m and optical transmittance of 79.3% at 1080 nm. Spark plasma sintering of the calcined Yb: Lu2O3 nanoparticles at 1450 degrees C and 15 kN for 40 min led to a 0.2 mu m-grained ceramics exhibiting an optical transmittance of 75.6% at 1080 nm. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.