Magnesium aluminate spinel transparent ceramics with high optical and mechanical performance by Y₃Al₅O₁₂ sintering additive

High‐quality magnesium aluminate spinel (MAS) transparent ceramics were successfully fabricated using Y 3 Al 5 O 12 (YAG) as the sintering additive. The influence of the YAG content on the sintering behavior, microstructure, and optical properties of the MAS transparent ceramics was systematically investigated. A 4 mm‐thick sample with 0.01 wt.% YAG hot isostatic pressed at 1600°C achieved the highest in‐line transmittance of 84.0% at 400 nm and the flexural strength of the sample was as high as 347.3 MPa, which represents the highest‐performing reported MAS transparent ceramics that were sintered with oxide additives.