Transparent sub-mircon Gd2Zr2O7 ceramic prepared by spark plasma sintering using nanocrystalline powders

In this work, transparent sub-mircon Gd2Zr2O7 (GZO) ceramic was successfully sintered for the first time by spark plasma sintering (SPS) using nanocrystalline powders synthesized via a solvothermal assisted co-precipitation route. With the aids of fast heating and cooling rate and high pressure, the GZO transparent sample with an average grain size of about 205 nm was obtained at 1400 degrees C for 5 min. The maximum transmittance of about 70% was achieved at a wavelength of 2000 nm.