Effect of CaF2 on the preparation and optical property of MgAl2O4 transparent ceramics

To achieve optimal light transparency in MgAl2O4 transparent ceramics, a higher sintering temperature is required to eliminate pores. However, inevitable rapid grain growth occurs, leading to lower mechanical properties. To address this problem, calcium fluoride (CaF2) is utilized as a sintering additive to enhance the transparency of MgAl2O4 ceramics. The influence of CaF2 on the densification process and microstructure evolution is investigated. CaF2 demonstrates notable abilities in facilitating densification and lowering the sintering temperature. Moreover, it inhibits grain growth during the final sintering stage. However, the sintering temperature must be controlled because the secondary phases (calcium aluminate) precipitate at a higher temperature, thereby affecting the homogeneity of the ceramic microstructure. After optimizing the sintering process, ceramics (with a thickness of 5 mm) containing 0.05 wt% CaF2 exhibited the highest in-line transmittance of 81 % and 87 % in the visible and near-infrared wavelengths, respectively, after pre-sintering at 1505 °C for 3 h and subsequent hot isostatic pressing (HIPing) at 1550 °C for 3 h.