Non-stoichiometric gadolinium zirconate transparent ceramics with less Gd content

Abstract

The non-stoichiometric design concept can effectively regulate internal defects in materials. Therefore, it can be applied to the fabrication of gadolinium zirconium oxide transparent ceramics to guide defect formation and promote the sintering process of the ceramics. In this study, transparent ceramics of non-stoichiometric Gd_2+XZr₂O_7+3X/2 with reduced Gd content were synthesized using a well-established combustion method combined with vacuum sintering. The XRD and TEM analyses revealed the presence of numerous defects within the crystal, leading to lattice shrinkage. These introduced defects significantly facilitated the sintering process, resulting in ceramics with high optical transmittance and large grain sizes. Furthermore, the band gap was found to vary correspondingly with changes in lattice parameters. These findings demonstrate that non-stoichiometric design provides an effective strategy to modulate defect concentration, enhance optical properties, and tune the band gap of the material.