Effect of sintering temperature on the densification and optical properties of spark plasma sintered ZnSe ceramics

In the present study, ZnSe ceramics were sintered at different temperatures in the range of 900 degrees C to 1100 degrees C by spark plasma sintering. Microstructure, hardness, phase composition, and the optical properties of the ceramics were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, micro-Vickers hardness, X-ray diffraction and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The results indicated that temperature has a strong effect on grain growth as well as on rcducing porosity and improving the properties. The optimal combination of properties (99.5 % density, 165 kg mm(-2) hardness and 30% transmission) was achieved after sintering at 1 100 degrees C for a holding time of 10 min with an applied pressure of 90 MPa. Furthermore, the grains tended to orient along the spark plasma sintering direction via preferential grain growth that was observed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy.