Fabrication and study of the strontium fluoroarsenate Sr5(AsO4)3F (SFAs) transparent ceramics

Abstract

Strontium fluorarsenate Sr5(AsO4)3F optical ceramics were fabricated for the first time by vacuum hot pressing of chemically precipitated powders. The properties of these ceramics were compared with those of the well-known strontium fluorophosphate Sr5(PO4)3F. According to BET, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy, Sr5(AsO4)3F and Sr5(PO4)3F powders have an isomorphic single-phase structure and similar particle sizes of about 100–200 nm. The transmittances of 1.5 mm thick samples are as high as 89.5% and 85.8% in the mid-IR for Sr5(AsO4)3F and Sr5(PO4)3F, respectively. The Sr5(AsO4)3F ceramics have a wider mid-IR transmission range (up to 5.8 μm) than the Sr5(PO4)3F ceramics (up to 4.5 μm).

Keywords

• SFAs
• SFAP
• Transparent ceramics
• Hot pressing
• Nanopowders