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Advances in Transparent Ceramics and Composites

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Advanced and Functional Ceramics and Glasses".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 5287

Special Issue Editor

CNR ISTEC, Institute of Science and Technology for Ceramic, National Research Council, Via Granarolo 64, 48018 Faenza, Italy
Interests: transparent ceramics; laser materials; thermal properties; transparency; sintering; shaping

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is my pleasure to present this Special Issue, dedicated to advances in the areas of transparent ceramics and transparent ceramic composites, both macro- and microstructural.

Transparent ceramics represent one of the ceramists’ holy grails, because a fully transparent ceramic is a polycrystalline material with a perfect microstructure, free of any pores and defects, or perhaps a philosopher’s stone, because the ceramists need to fully control the whole production process to reach their goal.

After decades of research, numerous transparent ceramic materials reached maturity and found applications, especially where other materials fail, e.g., highly resistant windows, transparent armor, high-power laser gain media, scintillators or optical components. Nevertheless, there is a continuous progress, and many significant and outstanding results have been published in recent years, including macroscopically composite structures with controlled dopant distribution prepared in one piece or materials with a composite microstructure that is fine enough to allow for transparency. One of the great advantages of the ceramics production process in comparison to that of single crystals is the wide choice and high flexibility of shaping methods that not only allow for the manufacture of near-net shapes of significant dimensions, but also provide the possibility of introducing composition variations within a single component with a still-increasing precision of detail. This is also reflected in the growth in the range of potential applications for transparent structural and functional materials that were not previously thinkable.

The aim of the present Special Issue is to show the recent advancements in the production of transparent ceramics, and provide a better understanding of the potential of this technology, as well as the future possibilities and limitations.

I invite you to submit manuscripts that tackle the topic both from the production and application perspective, looking at advanced uniform or multicomponent/composite transparent ceramics, as well as those related to the more theoretical aspects, particularly the relationships between processing, microstructure and optical performance. Both original research articles, short communications and concise reviews are welcome.

Dr. Jan Hostaša
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • transparent ceramics
  • optical properties
  • microstructure
  • composites
  • shaping
  • structured ceramics
  • ceramic processing
  • laser materials
  • light transmission

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 5973 KiB  
Article
Preparation of AlON Powder by Carbothermal Reduction and Nitridation with Assisting by Silane Coupling Agent
by Zhongyuan Xue, Xingming Wang, Yuyang Liu, Xue Bai, Tao Gui, Xingqi Wang and Xiaoning Li
Materials 2023, 16(4), 1495; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma16041495 - 10 Feb 2023
Viewed by 842
Abstract
In the preparation processes of aluminum oxynitride (AlON) powders by carbothermal reduction and nitridation, the homogeneity of mixed raw powders between Al2O3 and C is a critical factor by which the final composition and related properties of AlON transparent ceramic [...] Read more.
In the preparation processes of aluminum oxynitride (AlON) powders by carbothermal reduction and nitridation, the homogeneity of mixed raw powders between Al2O3 and C is a critical factor by which the final composition and related properties of AlON transparent ceramic will be decided. In this paper, a silane coupling agent was used as a dispersant to optimize the distribution uniformity of raw material of Al2O3 and C, and the preparation of AlON powder with controllable composition and its distribution is investigated. The results show that the silane dispersant could effectively improve the distribution uniformity of raw material. The silane coupling agent contains functional groups of −SiH3 and −CnH2n+1O. XPS showed that the silane could react with C and Al2O3 to form the Si–C bond and C–Al2O3 bond, respectively. The silane coupling agent provides a connected bridge for raw material powders. When the amount of the silane was 5 wt%, the mixed powder had a great distribution uniformity. The addition of silane coupling agent improved the reactivity of raw materials and decreased the synthesis temperature of AlON. The single-phase AlON powder was obtained after the Al2O3/C mixed powder was kept at 1670 °C for 30 min. Furthermore, the grain size of AlON powder was 100–200 nm with an AlN content of 27.5 mol%. With the increase of holding time to 4 h, the grain size increased to 15 μm, indicating that sintering between particles occurred, which may reduce the sintering activity of the powder. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Transparent Ceramics and Composites)
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13 pages, 5967 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Influence of Grain Sizes of Nanostructured WO3 Ceramics on the Resistance to Radiation-Induced Softening
by Dauren B. Kadyrzhanov, Artem L. Kozlovskiy, Maxim V. Zdorovets, Inesh E. Kenzhina and Dmitriy I. Shlimas
Materials 2023, 16(3), 1028; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma16031028 - 23 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1018
Abstract
The main purpose of this study is to test a hypothesis about the effect of grain size on the resistance to destruction and changes in the strength and mechanical properties of oxide ceramics subjected to irradiation. WO3 powders were chosen as objects [...] Read more.
The main purpose of this study is to test a hypothesis about the effect of grain size on the resistance to destruction and changes in the strength and mechanical properties of oxide ceramics subjected to irradiation. WO3 powders were chosen as objects of study, which have a number of unique properties that meet the requirements for their use as a basis for inert matrices of dispersed nuclear fuel. The grain-size variation in WO3 ceramics was investigated by mechanochemical grinding of powders with different grinding speeds. Grinding conditions were experimentally selected to obtain powders with a high degree of size homogeneity, which were used for further research. During evaluation of the strength properties, it was found that a decrease in the grain size leads to an increase in the crack resistance, as well as the hardness of ceramics. The increase in strength properties can be explained by an increase in the dislocation density and the volume contribution of grain boundaries, which lead to hardening and an increase in resistance. During determination of the radiation damage resistance, it was found that a decrease in grain size to 50–70 nm leads to a decrease in the degree of radiation damage and the preservation of the resistance of irradiated ceramics to destruction and cracking. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Transparent Ceramics and Composites)
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13 pages, 2024 KiB  
Article
Optical Properties, Microstructure, and Phase Fraction of Multi-Layered Monolithic Zirconia with and without Yttria-Gradient
by Mi-Hyang Cho and Hyo-Joung Seol
Materials 2023, 16(1), 41; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma16010041 - 21 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1492
Abstract
The differences in the optical properties of multi-layered zirconia with and without yttria-gradient are not fully understood. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the optical properties, related microstructures, and phase fractions of multi-layered zirconia with and without yttria-gradient. For this, multi-layered zirconia [...] Read more.
The differences in the optical properties of multi-layered zirconia with and without yttria-gradient are not fully understood. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the optical properties, related microstructures, and phase fractions of multi-layered zirconia with and without yttria-gradient. For this, multi-layered zirconia of 5 mol% yttria (5Y) stabilized (Katana STML) and 4Y/5Y stabilized (e.max MT Multi) were cut layerwise, sintered, and analyzed using the opalescence parameter (OP), average transmittance (AT%), translucency parameter (TP), and contrast ratio (CR). The average grain size and phase fractions were obtained from field-emission scanning electron micrographs and X-ray diffraction patterns, respectively. Although the TP values of Katana STML and e.max MT Multi did not show a significant difference (except for transition layer 1), the results of AT and CR showed that the translucency of e.max MT Multi was slightly higher than that of Katana STML (p < 0.05). The opalescence gradient was higher in Katana STML than in the e.max MT Multi. In both zirconia types, translucency increased from the dentin to enamel layer based on the AT, TP, and CR results, while OP decreased (p < 0.05). The higher translucency from the dentin to enamel layer in Katana STML was caused by the pigmentation gradient, while in e.max MT Multi, it was caused by the difference in phase fraction and the pigmentation gradient. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Transparent Ceramics and Composites)
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13 pages, 1499 KiB  
Article
Effect of Cooling Rate on Mechanical Properties, Translucency, Opalescence, and Light Transmission Properties of Monolithic 4Y-TZP during Glazing
by Ji-In Jeong, Hye-Jeong Shin, Yong Hoon Kwon and Hyo-Joung Seol
Materials 2022, 15(12), 4357; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15124357 - 20 Jun 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1454
Abstract
A standard cooling rate has not been established for glazing; therefore, the effects of the cooling rate on the properties of zirconia need to be evaluated to predict outcomes in clinical practice. 4Y-TZP glazed at three different cooling rates was analyzed to estimate [...] Read more.
A standard cooling rate has not been established for glazing; therefore, the effects of the cooling rate on the properties of zirconia need to be evaluated to predict outcomes in clinical practice. 4Y-TZP glazed at three different cooling rates was analyzed to estimate the effect of cooling rate during glazing on the mechanical and optical properties. Hardness tests, field-emission scanning electron microscopy analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis, flexural strength measurement, and optical property evaluations were performed. When 4Y-TZP was glazed at a higher cooling rate (Cooling-1) than the normal cooling rate (Cooling-2), there was no significant difference in grain size, flexural strength, average transmittance, and translucency parameters. The hardness was slightly reduced. The opalescence parameter was reduced for the 2.03 mm thick specimens. When 4Y-TZP was glazed at a lower cooling rate (Cooling-3) than the normal cooling rate, there was no significant difference in hardness, grain size, flexural strength, and translucency parameters. In addition, the average transmittance and opalescence parameters were slightly reduced for the 0.52 and 2.03 mm specimens, respectively. The effects of the cooling rate during glazing on the mechanical and optical properties of 4Y-TZP appear to be minimal and clinically insignificant. Therefore, even if the cooling rate cannot be strictly controlled during glazing, the clinical outcomes will not be significantly affected. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Transparent Ceramics and Composites)
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