Complex structural hierarchies observed in Y2O3–Al2O3–SiO2 eutectic ceramics prepared by laser melting

Amorphous Y2O3–Al2O3–SiO2 beads were directly melted by a Nd:YAG laser. The structural features in multi-scale of the samples after solidification were investigated. The results showed that the cooling speed in the applied processing conditions was not high enough to retain the amorphous nature of ceramic beads into the consolidated bulks. In addition to an amorphous phase two crystalline phases, YAG and α-Al2O3, were formed yielding the formation of complex structural hierarchies.