KONG Yong ¹, XIAO Zhuohao ¹, CHENG Ling ¹, GE Shutian ¹, LI Xiuying ¹, DONG Hongbo ², KONG Lingbing ¹

(1. Jingdezhen Ceramic University, Jingdezhen 333403, Jiangxi, China; 2. Linyi University, Linyi 276005, Shandong, China)

Abstract: Glass-ceramics consist of a certain content of crystalline phase in residual glass phase obtained from the glasses through controlled heat treatment. It has a similar microstructure with ceramic materials of the same composition. However, because glass-ceramics could have zero porosity and full density, they have superior properties than the conventional ceramics. Most glasses are opaque after crystallization. By controlling the crystal size and content or adjusting the refractive index of the precipitated crystals through composition design, glass-ceramics of some systems could have translucency or even high transparency. Transparent glass-ceramics are widely used in military, industrial production, biotechnology, daily life and other fields, because they have the advantages of both glass in molding and optical properties and ceramics in mechanical properties and stability. Transparent mechanism, composition system and preparation process of glass-ceramics are systematically introduced, while the research progress and application status of Li₂O-Al₂O₃-SiO₂, MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂, ZnO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ and other transparent glass-ceramics are discussed in depth.

Key words: transparent glass-ceramics; high hardness; transmittance