Fabrication of transparent LaYZr2O7 ceramic by reactive hot-pressing sintering from commercial raw powders

A transparent LaYZr2O7 ceramic sample was successfully prepared by reactive hot-pressing sintering using commercially available La2O3, Y2O3, and ZrO2 powders as raw materials. By applying mechanical pressure, the sample was successfully sintered at 1700 °C, which is lower by 100-200 °C compared to the temperature of used in pressureless sintering, leading to a fine average grain size (i.e., 1.5 µm). The in-line transmittance reached 50.8% at 500 nm and 70.4% at 1100 nm (1 mm thick).