Fabrication and microstructure characterizations of transparent polycrystalline fluorite ceramics

A approach to fabricating of transparent polycrystalline fluorite ceramic based on hot pressing sintering of fluorite mineral powders was proposed. Fluorite powders were obtained by ball milling naturally occurring fluorite mineral, and diameters of obtained powders were less than 100 μm. Transparent polycrystalline fluorite ceramic was fabricated by hot pressing sintering at 1100 °C for 3 h. The optical transmissivity reached about 60% in the infrared wavelength range (2.5 mm thickness specimen), and the average grain size was about 100 μm.