Preparation of cerium fluoride suspensions for grain-orientation by a strong magnetic field assisted slip-casting process

To achieve highly transparent CeF3 scintillation ceramics for high-energy physics applications, a grain-oriented structure, which could be obtained by a slip-casting process assisted by a strong magnetic field, was necessary to decrease the birefringence effects caused by the CeF3 hexagonal phase structure. The preparation of well-dispersed CeF3 suspensions, which is a key factor for the grain-orientation, was studied in this paper, and the factors that influenced the dispersing property of the suspensions, including properties of raw powders, pH of the suspension and amount of the dispersant, were also discussed. Optimized experimental parameters were screened out by comparing the viscosity of the suspensions and were used to prepare well-dispersed CeF3 suspensions. The resulting suspensions were then slip-cast under a strong magnetic field of 9 T used to align the particles. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results indicate grain-oriented ceramics that were obtained after sintering at 950 °C in vacuum for 3 h, with the calculated Lotgering factor f of 94.35%, compared with 3.67% for the sample obtained without magnetic field.