Transparent hot-pressed alumina

Abstract

The optical properties of very dense hot-pressed alumina are compared with those of normally sintered alumina with equal pore volume. The influence of the pore size on the in-line and diffuse transmission of light through these materials is considered. The concept of transparency and translucency is critically discussed and it is demonstrated that alumina powder can be hot pressed to form a really transparent material. Relations between the degree of translucency and the microstructure and the preparation conditions of dense alumina are given.