Transparent Ceramics

A detailed account of various applications and uses of transparent ceramics and the future of the industry

In Transparent Ceramics: Materials, Engineering, and Applications, readers will discover the necessary foundation for understanding transparent ceramics (TCs) and the technical and economic factors that determine the overall worth of TCs. This book provides readers with a thorough history of TCs, as well as a detailed account of the materials, engineering and applications of TC in its various forms; fabrication and characterization specifics are also described. With this book, researchers, engineers, and students find a definitive guide to past and present use cases, and a glimpse into the future of TC materials.

The book covers a variety of TC topics, including:

• The methods employed for materials produced in a transparent state

• Detailed applications of TCs for use in lasers, IR domes, armor-windows, and various medical prosthetics

• A review of traditionally used transparent materials that highlights the benefits of TCs

• Theoretical science and engineering theories presented in correlation with learned data

• A look at past, present, and future use-cases of TCs

This insightful guide to ceramics that can be fabricated into bulk transparent parts will serve as a must-read for professionals in the industry, as well as students looking to gain a more thorough understanding of the field.

Auteur

ADRIAN GOLDSTEIN, PHD, has led the Israel Ceramics Institute for twenty years, also teaching electronic ceramics, for a few years in the Materials Engineering Department of the Technion. He has authored one book and published over 35 refereed papers in leading journals. ANDREAS KRELL, PHD, has served as the Journal Associated Editor at the American Ceramic Society. He was Head of Department at Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS, and he chaired the first European Transparent Ceramics Symposium. ZEEV BURSHTEIN, PHD, is a part-time Scientific Consultant at the Soreq Nuclear Research Center, where he also teaches in the Materials Engineering department. He served as chief advisor of the Israeli Minister of Science and Technology from 1990 ?1991.

Contenu

Foreword xiii

Acknowledgments xv

General Abbreviations xvii

1 Introduction 1

1.1 Importance of Transparent Ceramics: The Book's Rationale Topic and Aims 1

1.2 Factors Determining the Overall Worth of Transparent Ceramics 2

1.2.1 Technical Characteristics 2

1.2.2 Fabrication and Characterization Costs 3

1.2.3 Overview of Worth 3

1.3 Spectral Domain for Ceramics High Transmission Targeted in This Book 3

1.3.1 High Transmission Spectral Domain 3

1.3.2 Electromagnetic Radiation/Solid Interaction in the Vicinity of the Transparency Domain 4

1.4 Definition of Transparency Levels 4

1.5 Evolution of Transmissive Ability Along the Ceramics Development History 6

1.5.1 Ceramics with Transparency Conferred by Glassy Phases 6

1.5.2 The First Fully Crystalline Transparent Ceramic 7

1.5.3 A Brief Progress History of All-Crystalline Transparent Ceramics 8

2 Electromagnetic Radiation: Interaction with Matter 11

2.1 Electromagnetic Radiation: Phenomenology and Characterizing Parameters 11

2.2 Interference and Polarization 13

2.3 Main Processes which Disturb Electromagnetic Radiation After Incidence on a Solid 13

2.3.1 Refraction 14

2.3.2 Reflection 17

2.3.3 Birefringence 20

2.3.4 Scattering 22

2.3.4.1 Scattering by Pores 22

2.3.4.2 Scattering Owed to Birefringence 24

2.3.5 Absorption 27

2.3.5.1 Transition Metal and Rare-Earth Cations in Transparent Ceramic Hosts 27

2.3.5.2 Absorption Spectra of Metal and Rare-Earth Cations Located in TC Hosts 28

2.3.5.2.1 Transition Metal and Rare-Earth Cations' Electronic Spectra: Theoretical Basis 29

2.3.5.2.1.1 Electronic States of a Cation in Free Space 29

2.3.5.2.2 Absorption Spectra of Transition Metal and Rare-Earth Cations: Examples 50

2.3.5.2.2.1 The Considered Solid Hosts 50

2.4 Physical Processes Controlling Light Absorption in the Optical Window Vicinity 54

2.4.1 High Photon Energy Window Cutoff: Ultraviolet Light Absorption in Solids 54

2.4.2 Low Photon Energy Window Cutoff: Infrared Light Absorption in Solids 58

2.4.2.1 Molecular Vibrations 58

2.4.2.2 Solid Vibrations 59

2.4.2.3 Acoustic Modes 61

2.4.2.4 Optical Modes 62

2.5 Thermal Emissivity 66

2.6 Color of Solids 67

2.6.1 Quantitative Specification of Color 67

2.6.2 Coloration Mechanisms: Coloration Based on Conductive Colloids 71

3 Ceramics Engineering: Aspects Specific to Those Transparent 73

3.1 Processing 73

3.1.1 List of Main Processing Approaches 73

3.1.2 Powder Compacts Sintering 73

3.1.2.1 Configuration Requirements for High Green Body Sinterability: Factors of Influence 73

3.1.2.2 Powder Processing and Green-Body Forming 77

3.1.2.2.1 Agglomerates 77

3.1.2.2.2 Powder Processing 80

3.1.2.2.3 Forming Techniques 81

3.1.2.2.3.1 Press Forming 81

3.1.2.2.3.2 Liquid-Suspensions Based Forming 84

3.1.2.2.3.3 Slip-Casting Under Strong Magnetic Fields 86

3.1.2.2.3.4 Gravitational Deposition, Centrifugal-Casting, and Filter-Pressing 88

3.1.2.3 Sintering 89

3.1.2.3.1 Low Relevancy of Average Pore Size 89

3.1.2.3.2 Pore Size Distribution Dynamics During Sintering 89

3.1.2.3.3 Grain Growth 93

3.1.2.3.4 Methods for Pores Closure Rate Increase 93

3.1.2.3.4.1 Liquid Assisted Sintering 94

3.1.2.3.4.2 Pressure Assisted Sintering 94

3.1.2.3.4.3 Sintering Under Electromagnetic Radiation 96

3.1.2.3.4.4 Sintering Slip-Cast Specimens Under Magnetic Field 97

3.1.2.3.4.5 Reaction-Preceded Sintering 97

3.1.2.3.4.6 Use of Sintering Aids 98

3.1.3 Bulk Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) 98

3.1.4 Glass-Ceramics Fabrication by Controlled Glass Crystallization 98

3.1.4.1 Introduction 98

3.1.4.2 Glass Crystallization: Basic Theory 100

3.1.4.2.1 Nucleation 100

3.1.4.2.2 Crystal Growth 102

3.1.4.2.3 Phase Separation in Glass 102

3.1.4.2.4 Crystal Morphologies 103

3.1.4.3 Requirements for the Obtainment of Performant Glass-Ceramics 103

3.1.4.3.1 Nucleators 103

3.1.4.4 Influence of Controlled Glass Crystallization on Optical Transmission 104

3.1.4.4.1 Full Crystallization 105

3.1.5 Bulk Sol-Gel 105

3.1.6 Polycrystalline to Single Crystal Conversion via Solid-State Processes 107

3.1.7 Transparency Conferred to Non-cubic Materials by Limited Lattice Disordering 109

3.1.8 Transparent Non-cubic Nanoceramics 109

3.1.9 Grinding and Polishing 109

3.2 Characterization 111

3.2.1 Characterization of Particles, Slurries, Granules, and Green Bodies Relevant in Some Transparent Ceramics Fabrication 111

3.2.1.1 Powder Characterization 112

3.2.1.2 Granules Measurement and Slurry Characterization 113

3.2.1.3 Green-Body Characterization 114

3.2.2 Scatters Topology Illustration 115

3.2.2.1 Laser-Scattering Tomography (LST) 116

3.2.3 Discrimination Between Translucency and High Transmission Level 116

3.2.4 Bulk Density Determination from Optical Transmission Data 117

3.2.5 Lattice Irregularities: Grain Boundaries, Cations Segregation, Inversion 118

3.2.6 Parasitic Radiation Absorbers' Identification and Spectral Characterization 123

3.2.6.1 Absorption by Native Defects of Transparent Hosts 123

3.2.7 Detection of ppm Impurity Concentration Levels 124

3.2.8 Mechanical Issues for Windows and Optical Components 126

4 Materials and Their Processing 131

4.1 Introduction 131

4.1.1 General 131

4.1.2 List of Materials and Their Properties 131

4.2 Principal Materials Description 131

4.2.1 Mg and Zn Spinels 131

4.2.1.1 Mg-Spinel 131

4.2.1.1.1 Structure 131

4.2.1.1.2 Fabrication 136

4.2.1.1.3 Properties of Spinel 146

4.2.1.2 Zn…