Gd3+ doping induced microstructural evolution and enhanced visible luminescence of Pr3+ activated calcium fluoride transparent ceramics

Transparent Pr³⁺ doped Ca_1-xGd_xF_2+x (x = 0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.06, 0.10, 0.15) polycrystalline ceramics with fine-grained microstructures were prepared by the hot-pressing method. The dependence of microstructure, optical transmittance, luminescence performances and mechanical properties on the Gd³⁺ concentrations for Pr³⁺:Ca_1-xGd_xF_2+x transparent ceramics were investigated. The Gd³⁺ ions show positive effects on the microhardness of Pr³⁺:Ca_1-xGd_xF_2+x transparent ceramics as a result of the decrease in the grain sizes. Excited by the Xenon lamp of 444 nm, typical visible emissions located at 484 nm, 598 nm and 642 nm were observed. Furthermore, the incorporation of Gd³⁺ ions can greatly enhance the photoluminescence performance owing to the improvement in the concentration quenching effect. The quenching concentration of Pr³⁺ ions in CaF₂ transparent ceramics increased to 1 at.% as a result of the positive effect of Gd³⁺ codoping. The energy transfer mechanism of Pr³⁺ in the Pr³⁺:Ca_1-xGd_xF_2+x transparent ceramics has been investigated and discussed.     

Fabrication and upconversion luminescence properties of Er:SrF2 transparent ceramics compared with Er:CaF2

SrF₂ transparent ceramic is a promising upconversion material due to the low phonon energy. The effect of different sintering temperatures on Er:SrF₂ transparent ceramics was investigated. The suitable sintering temperature for Er:SrF₂ transparent ceramics was 900 °C by hot-pressed sintering in this study. High quality of Er:SrF₂ transparent ceramics with different doping concentrations were obtained. The upconversion luminescence spectra and decay behavior were compared between Er:SrF₂ and Er:CaF₂ transparent ceramics with different Er³⁺ doping concentration. The green emission of 5 at.% Er:SrF₂ ceramic was much stronger than that of 5 at.% Er:CaF₂ ceramic, while the red emission of Er:SrF₂ ceramic was almost the same as that of Er:CaF₂ ceramic. The upconversion luminescence lifetime of Er:SrF₂ transparent ceramics was longer than that of Er:CaF₂.All the results indicated Er:SrF₂ transparent ceramics was a candidate for green fluorescent upconversion materials.     

Enhanced optical transmittance and energy-storage performance in NaNbO3-modified Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 ceramics

Dielectric ceramics with both excellent energy storage and optical transmittance have attracted much attention in recent years. However, the transparent Pb-free energy-storage ceramics were rare reported. In this work, we prepared transparent relaxor ferroelectric ceramics (1 − x)Bi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃–xNaNbO₃ (BNT–xNN) by conventional solid-state reaction method. We find the NN-doping can enhance the polarization and breakdown strength of BNT by suppressing the grain growth and restrained the reduction of Ti⁴⁺ to Ti³⁺. As a result, a high recoverable energy-storage density of 5.14 J/cm³ and its energy efficiency of 79.65% are achieved in BNT–0.5NN ceramic at 286 kV/cm. Furthermore, NN-doping can promote the densification to improve the optical transmittance of BNT, rising from ∼26% (x = 0.2) to ∼32% (x = 0.5) in the visible light region. These characteristics demonstrate the potential application of BNT–xNN as transparent energy-storage dielectric ceramics.     

Production and optical properties of Ce3+-activated and Lu3+-stabilized transparent gadolinium aluminate garnet ceramics

We first report the novel Ce³⁺-activated and Lu³⁺-stabilized gadolinium aluminate garnet (GAG) transparent ceramics derived from their precipitation precursors via a facile co-precipitation strategy using ammonium hydrogen carbonate (AHC) as the precipitant. The resulting precursors in liquid phase were substantially homogeneous solid solutions and could directly convert into sinterable garnet powders via pyrolysis. Substituting 35 at.% of Lu³⁺ for Gd³⁺ was effective to stabilize the cubic GAG garnet structure and transparent (Gd,Lu)₃Al₅O₁₂:Ce ceramics were successfully fabricated by vacuum sintering at 1715°C. The ceramic transparency was improved by optimizing the particle processing conditions and the best sample had an in-line transmittance of ~70% at 580 nm (Ce³⁺ emission center) and over 80% in partial infrared region with a fine average grain size of ~4.5 μm. Transparent (Gd,Lu)₃Al₅O₁₂:Ce ceramics have a short critical wavelength (<200 nm) and a maximal infrared cut-off at ~6.6 μm. Both the (Gd,Lu)₃Al₅O₁₂:Ce phosphor powder and the transparent ceramic exhibited characteristic yellow emission of Ce³⁺ with strong broad emission bands from 490 to 750 nm upon UV excitation into two groups of broad bands around 340 and 470 nm. The photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation intensities as well as the quantum yield were greatly enhanced via high-temperature densification. Both the phosphor powder and ceramic bulk had short effective fluorescence lifetimes.     

Efficient energy transfer of Ce to Nd in SrF2 transparent ceramics for enhancing NIR emission

High optical quality Nd³⁺ and Ce³⁺ co-doped SrF₂ (Nd³⁺, Ce³⁺: SrF₂) transparent ceramics were fabricated successfully by a simple hot-pressing (HP) method. The phase composition, in-line transmittance, absorption and emission spectra, as well as the detailed energy transfer of Nd³⁺ and Ce³⁺ were investigated. In addition, the Judd- Ofelt (J-O) theory was adopted to evaluate the luminescence property. The SrF₂ transparent ceramic samples exhibited excellent optical properties, up to 82 % at 400 nm and 92.5 % at 1054 nm. The fracture surface of SrF₂ transparent ceramic proved nearly dense microstructure and EDS results demonstrated uniform doping. The addition of cerium ions changed the crystal field environment of neodymium ions and shifted the emission peak to higher wavelengths at 796 nm excitation. Moreover, through the energy transfer process of Ce³⁺ to Nd³⁺, the occurrence of concentration quenching phenomenon was avoided under 298 nm excitation, and the emission cross-section of ⁴F_3/2→⁴I_11/2 increased to 3.1 × 10⁻²⁰ cm².     

The effects of the solution reactant concentration and temperature on the preparation of Pr3+:BaF2 transparent ceramics

Barium fluoride (BaF₂) crystals are attracting much attention as efficient inorganic scintillator promising for high-energy physics, industrial inspection, and other fields because of the fast component of the decay time (0.6 ns) and high radiation resistance. However, two major drawbacks limit its practical application: (i) a slow decay time of ~600 ns is derived from self-trapping excitons; (ii) the absolute light yield from the fast luminescence component is not competitive. The introducing of rare earth ions and preparation of BaF₂ polycrystalline ceramics is considered to be effective measures to solve these bottlenecks. Pr³⁺ is extremely suitable as the activated ion of scintillation materials, which possess emission peaks located in visible band and the faster 5d–4f transition. In this work, highly sinterable Pr³⁺:BaF₂ precursor powder was synthesized via the coprecipitation method by adjusting the reactant concentration and temperature. The morphology and microstructure of as-synthesized powders were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmittance electron microscopy analysis. The 5 at.% Pr³⁺:BaF₂ transparent ceramic with a transmittance of 50.7% at the wavelength of 500 nm was fabricated by hot pressing the as-prepared powders at 900°C for 4 h under the axial pressure of 50 MPa. The SEM images of ceramic cross-section show that the residual pore is the main light scattering source. The absorption and emission spectrum of ceramic samples were discussed.     

Reversible luminescence modulation and temperature-sensing properties of Pr3+/Yb3+ codoped K0.5Na0.5NbO3 ceramics

In this work, we have prepared a novel (K_0.5Na_0.5)_0.99-xPr_xYb_0.01NbO₃ (abbreviated as KNN:xPr³⁺/0.01Yb³⁺, x = 0.0006, 0.0008, 0.001, 0.002, 0.003, and 0.004) ceramics, which possess visible UC emissions, photochromic (PC) and optical thermometric properties. Under the excitation of a 980-nm diode laser, all the samples show the featured emissions of Pr³⁺ ions and the UC emission intensity is greatly dependent on the Pr³⁺ doping content. The optimal UC luminescence intensity is obtained at x = 0.001. All the prepared samples show a strong PC reaction, and a large luminescence quenching degree (ΔR_t) of 74.94% is found. The optical thermometric properties of both the irradiated and unirradiated KNN:0.001Pr³⁺/0.01Yb³⁺ ceramics in the temperature range of 123-573 K have been investigated via measuring the temperature-dependent UC emission spectra of green emissions, which originate from the two ³P₁ and ³P₀ thermally coupled levels. It has been found that the prepared samples have both excellent PC behaviors and temperature-sensing performances. These results suggest that the KNN:xPr³⁺/0.01Yb³⁺ ceramics are promising candidates for the applications in PC reaction and thermometers.     

Spectrum regulation of YAG:Ce transparent ceramics with Pr,Cr doping for white light emitting diodes application

YAG:Ce transparent ceramics with high luminous efficiency and color render index were prepared via a solid state reaction-vacuum sintering method. Cr³⁺and Pr³⁺ were applied to expand the spectrum of YAG:Ce transparent ceramics. As prepared ceramics exhibit luminescence spectrum ranging from 500 nm to 750 nm, which almost covers full range of visible light. After the concentration optimization of Ce³⁺, Pr³⁺ and Cr³⁺, high quality white light was obtained by coupling the YAG:Ce,Pr,Cr ceramics with commercial blue LED chips. Color coordinates of the YAG:Ce,Pr,Cr ceramics under 450 nm LED excitation vary from cold white light to warm white light region. The highest luminous efficiency of WLEDs encapsulated by transparent YAG:Ce,Pr,Cr ceramic was 89.3 lm/W, while its color render index can reach nearly 80. Energy transfers between Ce³⁺ → Pr³⁺ and Ce³⁺ → Cr³⁺ were proved in co-doped ceramic system. Transparent luminescence ceramics accomplished in this work can be quite prospective for high power WLEDs application.     

Enhanced visible emissions of Pr3+-doped oxyfluoride transparent glass-ceramics containing SrF2 nanocrystals

The Pr³⁺-doped oxyfluoride transparent glass and glass-ceramic (GC) with the composition of 41SiO₂ + 10Al₂O₃ + 25.5LiF + 23SrF₂ + 0.5Pr₂O₃ were prepared and investigated their optical and luminescence properties. The formation of SrF₂ nanocrystals in GC has been confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron micrographs (TEM). The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) studies were used to examine the network structure characteristics of silicates in the glass matrices. The XRD and TEM results suggest that the Pr³⁺ ions are progressively incorporated into the SrF₂ nanocrystals in the GC with increase in time of thermal treatment at 650 °C, corresponding to the first crystallization temperature of the glass. The obtained visible emissions of Pr³⁺-doped GC are several times enhanced than that in the glass and the lifetime of the ³P₀ level of the Pr³⁺ ions in glass and GC are found to be 7 and 12 μs, respectively. Therefore, the enhanced visible emission and lifetimes in GC are due to the incorporation of Pr³⁺ ions into the lower phonon energy of SrF₂ nanocrystals in the GCs. Moreover, the smaller difference in ionic radius between the added trivalent ions (Pr³⁺) and Sr²⁺ induces the larger enhancement of luminescence intensity in the GC. Hence, these enhanced visible luminescence properties indicate that the present glass and GC could be useful for photonic device applications.     

Preparation and characterizations of Pr3+:CaF2 transparent ceramics with different doping concentrations

0.2–5.0?at% Pr³⁺-doped CaF₂ transparent ceramics were fabricated by hot-pressed processing for the first time. The phase compositions, microstructure and optical characteristics of the presented transparent ceramics were examined systematically. The average in-line transmittance of Pr:CaF₂ transparent ceramics (2.0?mm thick) with high Pr³⁺ doping concentrations (1.0–5.0?at%) exceeds 86% at the wavelength of 1200?nm. The absorption spectrum manifests that the prepared Pr:CaF₂ transparent ceramics contain some absorption peaks overlapped with emission bands of the commercial InGaN laser diodes. Further, a detailed investigation on the visible emission properties as a function of Pr³⁺ concentrations in CaF₂ transparent ceramics was reported. The emission spectra presented two main characteristic peaks at 496?nm (bluish green) and 656?nm (red) corresponded to the transitions of ³P₀→³H₄ and ³P₀→³F₂ for Pr³⁺ activator ions. With the increase of the Pr³⁺ doping concentrations, the emission intensity and decay lifetimes decreased generally attributed to the concentration quenching effect. Details on energy transfer mechanism of Pr³⁺ in CaF₂ transparent ceramics were demonstrated and discussed.     

Spectral Properties of Pr3+‐Doped Transparent‐Glass‐Ceramic Containing Ca5(PO4)3F Nanocrystals

A Pr³⁺‐doped transparent oxyfluoride glass‐ceramic containing Ca₅(PO₄)₃F nanocrystals was prepared by melt quenching and subsequent thermal treatment. The crystallization phase and morphology of the Ca₅(PO₄)₃F nanocrystals were investigated by X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope, respectively. The volume fraction of the Ca₅(PO₄)₃F nanocrystals in the glass‐ceramic is about 10% and the fraction of Pr³⁺ ions incorporated into the Ca₅(PO₄)₃F nanocrystals is about 22%. The peak absorption cross sections at 435 and 574 nm increase up to 128% and 132% after crystallization, respectively. The peak stimulated emission cross sections of the ³P₀→³H₄ blue laser channel and ³P₀→³F₂ red laser channel for the glass‐ceramic are 4.95 × 10^?20 and 29.8 × 10^?20 cm², respectively. The spectral properties indicate that the glass‐ceramic is a potential visible laser material.     

Fantastic valence impacts of Pr on microstructures and Faraday magneto-optical effects of transparent (Ho,Pr)2O3 ceramics

Polycrystalline magneto-optical (Ho_1-xPr_x)₂O₃ (x = 0.05?0.2) ceramics were fabricated by vacuum sintering using layered rare-earth hydroxides as the precursors, among which the 5 at.% Pr doped specimen exhibits the highest in-line transmittance of ～76.1 % at 700 nm (～94.5 % of the theoretical value of defect-free Ho₂O₃ single crystal) and the largest Verdet constant of ?82 ± 6 rad?T^?1 m^?1 at 1064 nm (～2.3 times that of the commercial Tb₃Ga₅O₁₂ crystal and ～1.8 times that of the pure Ho₂O₃ ceramic). More Pr addition not only leads to a higher thermal decomposition temperature for the precursor but also a decreasing particle size for the oxide. A 5 at.% Pr dopant in Ho₂O₃ matrix generally exists in the oxidation state of +3, while an increasing Pr concentration up to 10 at.% induces coexisting valences of +3 and +4. The grain growth was suppressed by the present Pr⁴⁺ based on interstitial mechanism. The substitution of Pr³⁺ for Ho³⁺ is helpful for the rising Verdet constant of the binary ceramic, but Pr⁴⁺ has little positive contribution to it.     

Fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) analysis of the temperature sensing properties in transparent ferroelectric PMN-PT:Pr3+ ceramic

A transparent ferroelectric 0.75Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-0.25PbTiO₃:0.015Pr³⁺ ceramic was synthesized and its temperature-sensing ability was investigated based on the fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) method. The transparency was found to be of the order of 68% at 900 nm for a sample thickness of 0.7 mm, comparable to the theoretical value of ~71%, benefiting the photoluminescence of the Pr³⁺ ions inside the ceramic. Instead of the traditional Boltzmann exponential style and varying sensitivity, a highly linear temperature response was obtained for the studied ceramic. Further, a constant FIR sensitivity of 0.70 %K^-1 was achieved over the temperature range of -50–40 °C, making the ceramic suitable for thermometry at room temperature and below.     

Tunable ultra-wideband NIR emission and irradiation resistance in novel Er3+/Tm3+/Pr3+ tri-doped La2O3- Ga2O3-Ta2O5 glasses synthesized using aerodynamic levitation method

Glasses with ultra-wideband near-infrared emission and superior irradiation resistance are important for the potential applications in optical communications under harsh environments. Here, transparent 35La₂O₃-(65-x)Ga₂O₃-xTa₂O₅ (LGT) and Er³⁺/Tm³⁺/Pr³⁺ tri-doped LGT glasses are fabricated using the levitation method. LGT glasses exhibit a wide glass-formation region, low largest vibration energy, high refractive indices, and excellent mechanical properties. Additionally, Er³⁺/Tm³⁺/Pr³⁺ tri-doped LGT samples with varying Pr³⁺ contents are characterized by possessing good thermal stability (T_g>849°C), wide transparent optical window, strong radiation resistance, excellent compatibility between low wavelength dispersion (v_d>31.2), and large refractive index (n_d>2.048). By optimizing the doping content of Er³⁺, Tm³⁺, and Pr³⁺ in an appropriate ratio, the ultra-wideband near-infrared luminescence ranging from 1250 to 1640 nm (FWHM = 251 nm) has been acquired under 808 nm pumping. Furthermore, decay curves are measured to reveal the fluorescence dynamics, and then the related emission mechanism is elaborated systematically. Meanwhile, the effects of gamma irradiation doses on microstructure, transmittance spectra, and fluorescence characteristics are studied. This work may offer a valuable reference for doping optimization and new design strategy of multifunctional materials.     

The structure and electrical properties of Ca0.6(Li0.5Bi0.5-xPrx)0.4Bi2Nb2O9 high-temperature piezoelectric ceramics

Ca_0.6(Li_0.5Bi_0.5-xPr_x)_0.4Bi₂Nb₂O₉ ceramics were prepared via a solid-state reaction method. The effect of the Pr content on the structural and electrical properties was systematically investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) combined with Rietveld refinement and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) demonstrated that a moderate amount of Pr³⁺ can be incorporated into the NbO₆ octahedra, while excess Pr³⁺ ions probably enter into the (Bi₂O₂)²⁺ layers, thus resulting in an increase in the tetragonality of the crystal structure. The introduction of Pr suppressed the generation of oxygen vacancies and improved the preferential grain growth along the c-axis, which might be responsible for enhancing the resistivity (ρ ~ 10⁶ Ω cm at 600°C). The replacement of Pr³⁺ for A-site Bi³⁺ enhanced the piezoelectric property, and the piezoelectric constant d₃₃ increased from 13.8 pC/N to 16.3 pC/N. The high depolarization temperature (up to 900°C) implied that CBN-LBP100x ceramics are promising candidates for ultrahigh-temperature application.     

Heat-driven Tailored for Eliminating Nd3+ Re-clusters in Nd3+,Gd3+-codoped SrF2 Laser Ceramic

Transparent Nd³⁺,Gd³⁺-codoped SrF₂ laser ceramic was fabricated by a single-crystal ceramization (SCC) technique, and the fluorescence properties were also characterized. The results indicated that the SCC process would lead to reducing fluorescence properties of ceramic by re-clustering small amount of Nd³⁺ ions. In this study, the re-clustering of Nd³⁺ ions were addressed by a simple thermal drive-induced grains regrowth (TDIGR) treatment. The properties of the Nd³⁺,Gd³⁺-codoped SrF₂ laser ceramic undergo the TDIGR were improved and close to precursor Nd³⁺, Gd³⁺-codoped SrF₂ single crystal. Meanwhile, the transmittance of ceramic (T_{average@400-1400nm} ~ 92%) was hardly affected by the TDIGR treatment. Therefore, we have reasons to believe that the combination of SCC and TDIGR is a suitable approach to obtain high optical quality neodymium, buffer ion-codoped alkaline-earth fluoride (Nd³⁺,B³⁺-codoped MF₂) laser ceramics.     

Effect of Gd Content on Luminescence Properties of Eu3+‐Doped La2−xGdxZr2O7 Transparent Ceramics

3 at.% Eu³⁺‐doped La_2?xGd_xZr₂O₇ (x = 0–2.0) transparent ceramics were fabricated by vacuum sintering. The effect of Gd content on crystal structure, in‐line transmittance, and luminescence property of the ceramics were investigated. The ceramics are all cubic pyrochlore structure with high transparency. The cut‐off edge of the transmittance curve of the ceramics varied with Gd content and was also affected by the annealing process. The luminescence intensity became stronger for the ceramics annealed in air. As Gd content increased, the energy band structure as well as the luminescence behavior of the ceramics was changed; in addition, the symmetry of the crystal lattice reduced, resulting in the shift of the strongest luminescence peak from 585 nm to around 630 nm.     

Effects of Gd Substitution on Sintering and Optical Properties of Highly Transparent (Y0.95−xGdxEu0.05)2O3 Ceramics

Highly transparent (Y_0.95?xGd_xEu_0.05)₂O₃ (x = 0.15–0.55) ceramics have been fabricated by vacuum sintering at the relatively low temperature of 1700°C for 4 h with the in‐line transmittances of 73.6%–79.5% at the Eu³⁺ emission wavelength of 613 nm (~91.9%–99.3% of the theoretical transmittance of Y_1.34Gd_0.6Eu_0.06O₃ single crystal), whereas the x = 0.65 ceramic undergoes a phase transformation at 1650°C and has a transparency of 53.4% at the lower sintering temperature of 1625°C. The effects of Gd³⁺ substitution for Y³⁺ on the particle characteristics, sintering kinetics, and optical performances of the materials were systematically studied. The results show that (1) calcining the layered rare‐earth hydroxide precursors of the ternary Y–Gd–Eu system yielded rounded oxide particles with greatly reduced hard agglomeration and the particle/crystallite size slightly decreases along with increasing Gd³⁺ incorporation; (2) in the temperature range 1100°C–1480°C, the sintering kinetics of (Y_0.95?xGd_xEu_0.05)₂O₃ is mainly controlled by grain‐boundary diffusion with similar activation energies of ~230 kJ/mol; (3) Gd³⁺ addition promotes grain growth and densification in the temperature range 1100°C–1400°C; (4) the bandgap energies of the (Y_0.95?xGd_xEu_0.05)₂O₃ ceramics generally decrease with increasing x; however, they are much lower than those of the oxide powders; (5) both the oxide powders and the transparent ceramics exhibit the typical red emission of Eu³⁺ at ~613 nm (the ⁵D₀→⁷F₂ transition) under charge transfer (CT) excitation. Gd³⁺ incorporation enhances the photoluminescence and shortens the fluorescence lifetime of Eu³⁺.     

Tunable trap depth for persistent luminescence by cationic substitution in Pr3+:K1−xNaxNbO3 perovskites

The development of efficient red-emitting persistent phosphor is still an ongoing challenge. In the search of persistent materials in red range, Pr³⁺ is a good candidate owing to its transitions between ¹D₂ and ³H₄ state at about 612 nm. In this paper, we investigated the red persistent properties of Pr³⁺-doped perovskite oxide ABO₃, (A: K, Na and B: Nb), which can be elaborated as large single crystal. KNbO₃:Pr³⁺ appears to have weak photoluminescence and no persistent luminescence. However, the cationic substituted compounds K _{1− x} Na _x NbO ₃ :Pr³⁺ (x = 0, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7 0.9, 1) exhibit intense persistent luminescence, which increases steadily with increase in Na content. We correlated persistence behavior with the position of Metal-to-Metal Charge Transfer (MMCT) band, which plays crucial role in tuning of the trap depth. The MMCT band position decreases with the addition of Na contents and the thermoluminescence peak shifts toward higher temperature indicating the formation of deeper traps. This is in good agreement with the enhancement of the persistent luminescence suggesting that a proper tailoring of MMCT is needed to design efficient Pr³⁺-persistent phosphors with better performance. A detailed analysis on the trap depth, bandgap energy, and persistent luminescence properties is reported tuning the composition in the K _{1− x} Na _x NbO ₃ :Pr powder.     

Synthesis of Fe:ZnSe nanopowders via the co-precipitation method for processing transparent ceramics

Fe:ZnSe nanopowders were synthesized via the co-precipitation method for fabricating transparent ceramics. Fe_xZn_1−xSe (0.00 ≤ x ≤ 0.06) powders that were calcined at 400°C yielded a single-phased cubic ZnSe, but when the calcination temperature was raised to 500-600°C, ZnO phase was created. Introduction of pressure could avoid appearance of ZnO. XRD Scherrer analysis revealed a monotonic increase in lattice parameter with increasing Fe²⁺ content. The average powder particle size increased with calcination temperature from several nanometers at 80°C to hundreds of nanometers at 600°C. Attempts to pressurelessly sinter ZnSe powders resulted in the partial decomposition of ZnSe, thus spark plasma sintering was employed to sinter Fe_0.01Zn_0.99Se transparent ceramics with pure ZnSe phase composition, which could be well sintered at 950°C for 30 minutes under an applied pressure of 60 MPa. SEM observations of the polished and thermally etched microstructure of the ceramic revealed a dense microstructure with average grain size of approximately 35 μm, and a few micropores were observed at the grain boundaries. The transparent ceramic exhibited good transmittance in the mid-far infrared range, with the highest transmittance 57% at 12 μm. This paper confirmed the scheme of synthesis of Fe:ZnSe nanopowders by liquid-phase co-precipitation method for sintering transparent ceramics.