Direct ink writing of IR-transparent yttria ceramics

In this work, transparent Y₂O₃ ceramics were obtained by direct ink writing (DIW) followed by vacuum sintering at 1720°C for 32 h. The optimal ink composition was identified as 78 wt.% of solid loading, 1.5 wt.% of Dolapix CE64, 8 wt.% of Pluronic and 5 wt.% of ethylene glycol. The ink exhibits pseudoplastic behaviour and optimal viscoelastic properties for printing. Transparent Y₂O₃ ceramics were characterized by mostly uniform dense microstructure with the presence of some large defects caused by the printing process. In-line transmittance of the obtained ceramics is 43 % in the range of 3–5 μm.