Fabrication of Transparent Yttria by High-Pressure Spark Plasma Sintering

Transparent yttria was prepared by means of high-pressure spark plasma sintering at 1050 degrees C under the uniaxial pressure of 300 MPa. The resulting yttria possessed the in-line transmittance of 68% at the wavelength of 700 nm and the nanometric grains of about 400 nm. In the near-infrared spectral region, the transparency of the present specimen approached the level of single crystal yttria. This research highlighted the efficiency and simplicity of high-pressure spark plasma sintering for fabricating transparent yttria.