TRANSPARENT CERAMIC FROM YAG NANOPOWDERS BY NITRATE-FUEL MICROWAVE COMBUSTION WITH SULPHATE ADDITION

Disclosed is a method of preparing deagglomerated, sinterable, neodymium ion doped Yttrium Aluminium garnet (YAG) nanopowder and its fabrication to transparent polycrystalline ceramic , consisting essentially of the following steps: a) mixing nitrates of neodymium, yttrium and aluminium with ammonium sulphate and a fuel in water to prepare a complex sol; b) drying and gelation of the complex sol of step (a) by microwave combustion to obtain precursor-powder; c) calcining the precursor-powder of step (b) only once, in air and at a temperature in the range of 800-1000°C, to obtain deagglomerated nanopowder of neodymium ion doped polycrystalline Yttrium Aluminium Garnet (YAG); d) compacting the nanopowder by uniaxial pressing followed by cold isostatic pressing to form pellets; e) sintering the pellets of step (d) under vacuum and at a temperature in the range of 1650-1750°C to obtain sintered pellets; f) Hot isostatic pressing the sintered pellets of step (e) at a temperature in the range of 1650-1750°C to obtain hot isostatic pressed pellets; g) Annealing the hot isostatic pressed pellets of step (f) at a temperature in the range of 1400-1500°C to obtain deagglomerated, transparent, sinterable, neodymium ion doped polycrystalline Yttrium Aluminium Garnet (YAG) ceramic.