Effect of lanthanum doping on water content and diffusion properties of corundum for producing transparent ceramics

Abstract

The effect of doping corundum with lanthanum on the content of water and other gas impurities, on the diffusion characteristics, on the unit cell size and static strength of fine-crystalline corundum synthesized under thermovapours conditions in a supercritical water fluid was studied.Content, release and diffusion coefficients of water and other volatile impurities in corundum were measured by kinetic thermodesorption mass spectrometry. Water is the main volatile impurity in fine-crystalline corundum. It was found that the introduction of lanthanum into the structure of corundum reduces several times the content of water and other gas-liquid impurities. An increase in the diffusion coefficient of water during the doping of corundum with lanthanum leads to an increase in the degassing rate of fine-crystalline raw materials. When doping corundum, lanthanum, being localized in structural defects, not only displaces structural hydroxyl groups with the formation of strong aluminate-like bonds, but also decreases in the unit cell and increases in the average static strength of the crystals. La-doped corundum, due to the reduced content of water and other gas impurities, is a promising raw material for the production of transparent ceramics.