Synthesis of an alumina-YAG nanopowder via sol-gel method

Alumina-YAG (Y3Al5O12) composite has attracted a great deal of attention as a high temperature structural ceramic due to its good creep resistance. In the present article, an Al2O3-YAG nanopowder was synthesized by aqueous sol-gel method using AlCl3 center dot 6H(2)O, aluminum and Y2O3 powders as raw materials. The dried amorphous gel was heat treated in the range of 600-1500 degrees C. The influence of heat treatment on crystallization and phase transformation of the dried gel was investigated using X-ray diffractometery (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). It was shown that the a I heat treated at 1300 degrees C resulted in the formation of a crystalline Al2O3-YAG nanopowder with particle size distribution ranges from 70 to 130 nm. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.