Investigation on mechanical properties of AlON ceramics synthesized by spark plasma sintering

AlON ceramics were prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS) with raw materials (60 mol% Al2O3 and 40 mol% AlN) and sintering aids (0.16 wt% Y2O3 + 0.3 wt% MgO + 0.06 wt% La2O3). The effects of the SPS parameters on the microstructures and mechanical properties of the SPSed AlON ceramics were investigated systematically. This investigation suggested that when the sintering temperature was 1580 celcius, the sintering pressure was 50 MPa, and the holding time was 5 min, the AlON ceramics with excellent mechanical and optical performances were successfully synthesized. They exhibited a high hardness of 18.97 GPa, a good bending strength of 538 MPa, a fracture toughness of 5.88 MPa center dot m1/2, and particularly, a high transmittance of 76.28% at 750 nm.

Automated summary

In this study, AlON ceramics were prepared using spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique. The effects of SPS parameters on the microstructures and mechanical properties were systematically investigated. It was found that when sintered at 1580°C with a pressure of 50 MPa and a holding time of 5 minutes, the AlON ceramics exhibited excellent mechanical and optical performances.