Transparent ceramic and glass-ceramic materials for armor applications

Transparent ceramics and glass-ceramics intended for armor applications still present limitations such as high production cost, manufacture of larger parts, among other challenges discussed in this review. The information concerning this topics is highly scattered, and to some extent scarce in specific points, scenario that make difficult to understand and cope the abovementioned challenges. Herein we intend to simplify the landscape of transparent armor materials and manufacture. In the first section, guidelines for materials development are discussed in the form of a filter-like methodology related with the material properties assessment, which is organized from the straightforward, economic evaluation to the most complex, expensive analysis. In the second section, the materials outlook is reviewed with special attention to Polycrystalline Magnesium Aluminate Spinel (PMAS) and Magnesium-Aluminum-Silicate (MAS). For either PMAS or MAS, the manufacture state of the technique is also reviewed to establish their scale-up potential. In summary, here we give some tutorial information about materials structure, fabrication and properties, which may be useful for those interested in entering the field. The state of the technique, including current challenges, technological gaps, limitations and the most recent findings, show the further field development towards simplified fabrication and low-cost production.